


So Far, So Good

by PattRose



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst and Humor, F/F, Gun Violence, M/M, Mild Language, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-02-07 13:37:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 32,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1900968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lonely policeman finds love in a way that he never thought possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	So Far, So Good

**So Far, So Good**  
By PattRose

 

Mason Smith was a cop in the Robbery Division in Tucson, Arizona and was quite happy with his job. He had just passed his Detective exam and was thrilled to have that before his name, now. Detective Mason Smith sounded so much better. He eventually wanted to take the Lieutenants exam, but that would have to be later. Mason was 32 years old, single and very lonely. To look at him, you would wonder why he would ever be lonely with his long blond hair, blue eyes and his size. He was six foot five. He was a friendly person, but not too social. Part of the problem was not only was he a cop but he was gay. Cops don’t look on gay people with anything but hate or misunderstanding. They don’t teach accepting people seminars too often. So, Mason decided to just give up dating. That was until last week when he went to a bar, yes, a gay bar and met someone there he really liked. It was love at first sight. When he met this tall dark stranger, he knew they were going to make a perfect couple. The man was six foot three, so he was almost the same size as Mason. Mason liked that about him. Sometimes being with someone much shorter made for problems when dancing or other things. As the night wore on, he found out the man’s name was Miles Carter. Even his name was sexy. He had dark brown hair, big brown eyes and a smile that would melt anyone’s heart. They danced most of the night and had quite a few drinks. When Mason asked Miles for his phone number, Miles gave it freely but he said, “I’m a cop, if that matters.”

Well, it did matter, damn it. Mason thought he had met the perfect man, but turned out he worked at the same station as Mason, just different departments. That would never work. Mason told him it wouldn’t work because he would never be out at the station. Miles smiled and said, “Who said we have to be out?”

Against his better judgment, Mason gave Miles his phone number and Miles gave Mason his. They promised they would call the other one as Mason hailed a cab.

“What part of town do you live in?” Mason asked Miles.

“In the Speedway and Kolb area. I have a small house, where do you live?” Miles asked.

“I live about six blocks from there. Do you want to share a cab?” Mason asked.

“That would be nice. We could get to know each other a little bit more before the night ends. Unless you’d like to come to my house for a night cap,” Miles suggested.

They got into a cab together and gave him Miles’ address. Mason asked, “So what do you do at the police station, you didn’t say?”

“I’m a Detective in Major Crimes, so we probably have seen each other before but just didn’t notice,” Miles decided.

“How old are you, Miles?”

“I’m 32, how old are you, Mason?”

“I’m 32 also. That’s sort of weird. We’re the same age, almost the same height, both gay and work in the same police station. What are those odds?” Mason asked.

Miles laughed and said, “I know. It was like it was meant to be.”

The cab started slowing down and Miles said to the cab driver, “That’s my house on the right side of the road with the light on.”

The cab driver gave him a dirty look and both men knew that look. He was disgusted with them for being gay.

When Mason stepped out, he said, “I’ll get the cab fare.”

“I’ll pay the tip then,” Miles said.

They walked away from the cab almost laughing. Miles had given him two dollars for a tip. He didn’t deserve any more than that.

“I just want you to know that we’re not sleeping together tonight, we’re getting to know each other better, first,” Miles stated, firmly.

“Sounds good to me. It’s not good to jump into relationships anyhow. Besides, we might not have much in common,” Mason pointed out.

“Other than both being cops and gay,” Miles said, laughing.

They walked into Miles’s home and Mason was impressed. It was very clean and kept up. It reminded Mason of his own place. Not new, but really kept up well.

“Nice place, Miles,” Mason said.

“Thanks, I got it fairly cheap and fix it on the weekends. I put in the tile floors. I’m not wild about carpet, so I decided to lay tile for the coolness factor.”

“My place has a lot of hardwood and tile also. We do have a lot in common, without even trying,” Mason admitted.

“What would you like to drink?” Miles asked.

“Do you have any type of soda?”

“I have Dr. Pepper and that’s all,” Miles replied.

“That’s my favorite soft drink,” Mason said, happily.

“Another thing we have in common. Sit down and take a load off. I’ll be right back,” Miles said as he headed into the kitchen for drinks.

Miles took a few deep breaths while he was in there. He never dreamed he would meet someone this nice at the bar. Mason was not only gorgeous, but seemed really nice, too. But it was too soon to say he was perfect. Miles got a glass down and filled it with ice and poured the Dr. Pepper over it. He grabbed one for himself, too and walked back into the living room wearing a big shit eating grin. To say Miles was happy was a total understatement.

Mason saw the smile and wondered if he had found someone that he could spend time with, finally. Mason had been so lonely in the last year and now he met someone who seemed to have a lot in common with him. _This might work out._

“Thank you, Miles,” Mason said as Miles put it down in front of him.

“You are most welcome. So, tell me about yourself. Do you come from a large family?” Miles asked.

“I have my parents and four sisters. They are all very accepting of me being gay, so I was very lucky being born into that family. Two of my sisters are cops, too. The other two are school teachers. How about you?” Mason asked.

“I only have my mom. My dad divorced my mom years ago when he realized I was gay. He blamed my mom for that. So, it’s just been me and my mom for a long, long while. She’s really nice and very accepting, also.”

“Well, if you ever need to borrow a sister, you know who to call,” Mason teased.

“Do the two sisters that are cops work in our station?” Miles asked.

“My sister Mary is a patrol officer and Joanie is in Vice. They are both new to their jobs, but they like it a lot and yes, the same station. They are 22 and 23, just babies, really. Sometimes, I feel a little too close to them. Know what I mean?” Mason asked.

“Yes, I do know what you mean. My mom, Beth, is a 911 operator at the station. So, I know all about being too close sometimes, too.”

“Wow, Beth is your mom? I know her. She’s great. No wonder you’re crazy about her. I could tell when you talked about her that you like her a great deal on top of just loving her. That’s nice. She doesn’t look old enough to be your mom,” Mason said.

“She was only 16 when she delivered me, so she’s 48 now. My dad has been gone for about 17 years,” Miles added.

Mason took a big swig of his Dr. Pepper and set it back down again and noticed that Miles was watching him like a hawk. “So, Miles, do you want to start dating?”

“I think I would love to start dating you. But, we have to keep it out of the workplace. Understood?”

Mason laughed and said, “You don’t have to tell me about that. Now, do we tell our families or not?”

“Let’s start dating first and see how it goes before we come out to them. Because my mom will start bossing you around as soon as she knows. It’s in her nature,” Miles said, smiling.

“I like your smile a lot, Miles. It brightens up the entire room. You have beautiful teeth. And did I mention how much I love brown eyes and brown hair?” Mason kidded.

“Seriously? And, I’m a sucker for blue eyes and blond hair. We do have a lot in common. Where would you like to go first?” Miles asked.

“What about dinner tomorrow night at Claim Jumper? I love their Filet Mignon. It’s one of the best ones in town, I think,” Mason said.

“Claim Jumper it is. Do you want to pick me up, or do you want to meet there?” Miles asked, hoping to hear he would pick him up.

“I’ll pick you up. I have a feeling we’re going to be good together. This might work out super well. Tomorrow night at six?” Mason asked.

“I’ll be ready at six. If something comes up at work, I’ll let you know,” Miles said, casually, but inside he was doing flips and jumping around. Miles felt like Mason might be the ‘one’.

“Well, I better call a cab and get home,” Mason said. He pulled his cell phone out and called Sunshine Cab and told them the address. Mason already knew it by heart. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he did. Maybe this was going to be easier than he had ever dreamed.

They had small talk while Mason waited for the cab and once he heard the honk, he stood up and so did Miles. Miles leaned into him and kissed him softly and said, “Thank you for the nice night. I had a good time.”

Mason kissed him once more and said, “I had a wonderful time, too. See you tomorrow night at six.” He then walked out and got into the cab. The last thing he saw was a disappointed looking Miles shutting the door. This made Mason smile even more. This was going to work out well, he could tell.

~~~~~~~~~~

The following day, Mason was useless at his job. He got yelled at twice by his captain and was told to get his mind out of the clouds. He was so excited about his date, he could hardly see straight. _Isn’t it funny that you would use that saying?_

He and his partner, Nicole Parker got called out on a new robbery. Someone was holding up the clerks at Circle K’s all over town. Mason drove to the store that was robbed and Nicole asked, “What’s up with you today? You seem off your game a little bit.”

“I’m fine. I just want to have this day end without any problems. I have a date tonight,” Mason admitted, although as soon as he said it, he wanted to take it back.

“You met a nice guy and want to settle down?” Nicole asked.

“Nicole, what are you talking about?” Mason asked, looking horrified.

“Surely you’re not going to try and keep your lifestyle a secret, are you?” Nicole asked,

“You knew I was gay and you continued to work with me?” Mason asked.

“You aren’t going to accuse me of being a bigot, are you? I’ve been behind you one hundred percent since I realized you were gay. A lot of people figured it out, Mason. Stop worrying so much.”

“Nicole, it is a big worry. They treat you differently once they know. You might not get backup because you’re partnered with me. Don’t you worry about that?”

Nicole thought about it for a moment and she said, “No, I guess I don’t worry about it. It’s never bothered me from the start. I’ve always known you were gay. So, it’s not a biggy.”

Mason drove into the parking lot of the store and shut the car off. “Thank you. It means a lot to me to have you watching my back.”

“Thank you. Now, let’s get in there and ask some questions about this robbery,” Nicole suggested and they both walked in to do just that.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Nicole and Mason got back to the station, they had a lot of paperwork to do. They took a lot of fingerprint latent’s and had a lot of witnesses. They also had the video feed from the store itself. A lot of stores didn’t put anything in the camera, but this one did. It was a good feed and they had something to go on. It was working out well. They felt like they might have some suspects before long. It was working out to be a productive day for both of them.

~~~~~~~~~~

Miles Carter was a happy man and it showed. Everyone at the station was asking him what was going on to make him so happy. He just smiled and said, “It’s just good to be alive.”

“That’s bullshit,” Shannon O’Neill said.

“What do you mean by that,” Miles asked, looking confused.

Shannon smiled and said, “You got laid last night and it shows.”

“I swear, I didn’t get laid last night. I would swear on a bible,” Miles said, smiling.

“Well, then you met someone and you’re going to get lucky,” Shannon guessed. She knew her partner well enough to know that much.

“Maybe. But it’s no one’s business but mine, anyway,” Miles whispered.

Shannon got good and close to him and whispered, “So, is he cute?”

Miles scooted back from his desk and stared at her. How does she know this shit?

“Do I look stupid, Miles?”

“No, but I didn’t think anyone knew,” Miles said, quietly.

“Shows you how much you don’t know. Now, do you want to go out on this call with me, or do you want to sit here all day by yourself?” Shannon asked as she grabbed her purse and started towards the elevator.

“Have I ever mentioned what a pain in the ass you are?” Miles asked, but smiled.

“Let’s get busy, partner. We’ve got a dead body,” Shannon said as they rode the elevator down to the parking garage.

When they got to Miles’ SUV, they got in and headed towards the address that Shannon had given to him.

“So, are you going to tell me about this man? He must be special, because I’ve never seen you this happy, ever.”

“It’s our first real date. Last night we just talked and talked and ended the night with a sweet kiss. He’s so fucking nice, Shannon. Wait until you meet him. He’s a cop, too. Mind you, we’re not going to be out at the station, but I would like you to meet him since you know about us,” Miles said, as he tried not to ramble.

“Start with his name, Miles.”

“Oh, his name is Mason. He’s gorgeous. Blond hair, blue eyes, six foot five and built like a model. He’s in excellent condition. At least with his clothes on,” Miles said, smiling and blushing at the same time.

“Are you talking about Mason Smith in robbery?”

“Yes, do you know him?” Miles wondered, aloud.

“No, but I’m not blind, he is gorgeous. I bet he likes your looks too. So different from each other, you will make a wonderful looking couple. Has your mom met him yet?” Shannon asked.

“Not yet. Although, he knows who mom is, so it won’t be a shock to meet her. He’s really nice, Shannon. Tonight is our first date.”

“I can’t wait to hear about that. This is so exciting. Much more exciting than going to look at a dead body,” Shannon said.

“You really think we’ll look good together?”

“Stop fishing for compliments. You’re perfect for each other,” Shannon said.

“You’re right, we do look good together. At the bar, we danced and everyone was watching us. It might have something to do with both of us being so damn tall. I like to believe it’s because we’re made for each other,” Miles said, smiling again.

They both had to quit smiling when they got to the murder scene. It wasn’t horrible, but wasn’t what they had hoped for either. They secretly hoped for a suicide, so it would save so much paperwork. But the man had been killed by someone and just left to be found. He was shot six times. Yes, somebody wasn’t happy with this man. It was Miles and Shannon’s job to figure out who did it.

They started canvassing the neighborhood, hoping to find a witness or someone that saw something odd or out of place that evening. They got to the third house on the block and rang the doorbell. When it finally opened, it was a very tired looking woman.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m Detective Carter and this is Detective O’Neill. I wondered if we could ask you a couple of questions about the death of one of your neighbors.”

“Come in, I don’t see how I could help you. I don’t leave the house at all,” she said.

Shannon said, “What is your name, ma’am?”

“Stacy Holder, why?”

“Stacy, did you hear anything out of the ordinary last night? Anything might help us find the person we’re looking for,” Miles said, softly as not to spook her. Miles could tell she was a very nervous person.

“I didn’t hear anything. Who was killed?” Stacy asked.

“A man named Rick Royce, who lived four houses down from you. Do you know him?” Shannon asked, because Stacy was visibly shaken at the mention of his name, alone.

“I don’t know him, no. But, I know where he lived.”

“Did you hear anything out of the ordinary?” Miles asked.

As they talked a man came into the room and Stacy looked even more shaken up. “Sid, they’re here asking questions about a neighbor of ours who was killed. It was Rick Royce.”

“Good, no one deserved to die more than he did. What are you bothering my sister for?” Sid asked.

“Sir, we’re not bothering her, we’re just asking questions. We have to start somewhere and she’s been most helpful,” Shannon stated.

Sid turned quickly and looked at his sister and said, “Why, what did you say?”

“I haven’t said anything, Sid,” Stacy assured him.

“There seems to be something you are both not sharing with us, so we’re going to take you downtown for questioning,” Miles said.

Stacy started to cry. “I can’t leave the house. I haven’t left the house in years.”

Miles asked, “Sid, did you have anything to do with this man’s murder?”

Sid watched at his sister, get visibly upset and said, “Yes, I killed him. She doesn’t want to point the finger in my direction, but I’m the one.”

Shannon asked, “Why would you kill Rick Royce?”

“Because he raped and almost murdered my sister. He was arrested and they let him off. He got to go free and she never left the house again. It wasn’t fair. He deserved to die,” Sid said.

Miles walked up to him and put the cuffs on him and read him his rights. Shannon tried to console the sister, but wasn’t having too much luck.

“Sid, why? Why would you do this? Now, I’ll be alone,” Stacy said.

“I’ve taken care of things, Stacy. You’ll have someone to stay with you all the time. I’ve already hired her. I was going to turn myself in this afternoon anyway. Unlike Rick, I couldn’t live with what I did.”

Both Miles and Shannon looked at each other like this was the best day in the world.

“Why was the rapist let free, but my brother will have to go to prison?” Stacy asked, still crying.

Sid said, “Let’s get out of here. It’s upsetting Stacy.”

They left a very upset, Stacy and took Sid to the station house.

Once in the SUV, Sid said, “Don’t think my sister is nuts. She’s not. She sort of lost it after that animal did that to her and she had to deal with him coming over and bothering her all the time. We even got a restraining order, but it didn’t do any good. He still showed up whenever he felt like it, causing my sister to be in fear for her life or welfare. He had to be stopped. You weren’t doing it, I had to do something. Poor Stacy was getting worse from his visits.”

“Sir, it’s never okay to take the law into your own hands,” Miles said, simply.

“Do you have any sisters?” Sid asked.

“That has nothing to do with this case, sir.”

“That means, no. You have no idea what I’m going through. So, don’t sit there and make believe that you understand. You’ll never understand,” Sid said, hatefully.

There was nothing Miles or Shannon could say to this. He was right. They didn’t understand, but they were also doing their job.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sitting at his desk, three hours later, Miles finally had a moment and looked at his watch and saw it was already 4:30. He couldn’t believe it was almost time to go and get ready for his date. At least this case went along smoothly, maybe not as happy of an ending as Miles would have liked, but still they could close it. He finished the paperwork on the case and asked Shannon, “You done with your work?”

“Why?” she asked.

“I’d like to leave a little bit early. I have tons of time off, I’m sure Captain Sawyer will let me go early if I have all of the paperwork done. You know how he likes to have things wrapped up in a neat little package,” Miles said, snickering.

“Here’s mine, take both of them and get out of here. Have a good time tonight and call me if you have a moment. I want to hear all about it,” Shannon demanded.

“I’m not calling you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow and fill you in, then.” Miles took all the paperwork and knocked on Captain Sawyer’s door.

“Come.”

Miles opened the door up and smiled. “I have all of the paperwork done from the dead body and wondered if I could take off a little early. I have plans.”

“Sure, get out of here. I’ll call if there are any problems with the paperwork. Have a good time,” the captain said.

Miles smiled and walked out of the room. He stopped by his desk, grabbed his jacket off the chair and said goodbye to Shannon.

“Have fun, but not too much fun,” Shannon whispered.

“Thanks, Shannon.”

Miles couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He was so excited for his date and he couldn’t ever remember being this excited.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mason was already home from work getting ready for his date. He was so excited, but yet a little nervous, too. He hadn’t been on a date in months. There just didn’t seem to be anyone that appealed to him but Miles made up for that. Mason was never attracted to anyone in this way. He wondered what that meant. He hated to already think that Miles might be the love of his life. They might end up not even getting along. _Oh God, I hope this isn’t the case._

He looked at his watch and saw that he still had an hour to get ready. He was glad because he wanted to look good for Miles. He was making no mistakes. He wanted to make the best impression he could and he was hoping that he was going to do it with flair.

He double checked everything he was wearing and really wished one of his sisters was over to check him out. _I can’t believe I think my sister’s have better taste then me._ One last look in the mirror and he saw a good looking dude that could get Miles attention with no problem at all.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mason’s sisters, Mary Smith and Joanie Smith were in the police department parking lot when Joanie said, “Did you notice how happy Mason was today?”

“Yes, he must have met someone. Let’s just hope it’s someone that’s good and not some loser. He doesn’t have the best of luck with dates,” Mary reminded Joanie.

“I wonder who it is,” Joanie asked.

“I guess we’ll have to wait for him to come to us. If not by tomorrow, we’ll go to him at lunch,” Mary said, laughing.

“He should know by now he doesn’t get any privacy at all. It’s the pits when you’re the oldest brother of four nosy sisters,” Joanie said.

They both laughed as they walked to their cars. They knew it was going to be hard not to call him before tomorrow, but thus was life.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

At ten minutes to six, Mason Smith pulled up in front of Miles Carter’s house. He realized he was early, but wanted to get this show on the road.

He got out of his SUV, walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.

Miles being the smartass that he was, called out, “Who is it?”

“Guess,” Mason answered.

Miles opened the doors and was very pleased with how Mason looked. “Hey, you look great, Mason.”

“You do, too, Miles.”

“Please tell me that’s not all we’re going to talk about tonight,” Mason asked, snickering.

“I’m ready, if you’re ready to go,” Miles said.

“Sure, this way,” Mason said as Miles locked up his house.

They both got into the SUV and Miles said, “I have one just like this.”

“One, what?” Mason asked, teasingly.

“SUV, you nut. I have one exactly like it in my garage. But mine is white,” Miles said.

“I think Durango’s are a pretty nice car,” Mason said.

I really like this one in Burgundy. Mine is a little blah in white,” Miles said.

“In Tucson, Arizona it’s never blah to be in white. I bet yours is a hell of a lot cooler than mine in the summer. “

As Mason drove, he kept looking over at Miles and smiling. This was going to be a great night out, he could tell, already.

“So, how was your day at work?” Miles asked.

“It was a good day. We had a major robbery string going on at a bunch of Circle K’s, but we got video footage of them this time and some fingerprints. So, we’re following that up tomorrow. Looks like it might be already in the bag. How was yours?”

“We had a murder and the one who did it, admitted to it right away. He felt guilty and couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. The victim had beat and raped this man’s sister and she ended up being a mess. He kept coming over and bothering her and the accused murderer said that the police did nothing to help. So, he had to do something. He killed him,” Miles replied.

“That happens a lot. The police can’t do much more than put restraining orders out and then the victim is put on trial, more or less. The system sucks, sometimes. But usually it works.”

“I haven’t been to Claim Jumper in a long while, have you?” Miles asked.

“It’s been about six months for me. And then it was with my sisters. They like it there too,” Mason answered.

Miles looked over at Mason and realized that he seemed a little nervous too, so he said, “I’m a little nervous. I haven’t been with anyone in like six months.”

“Wow, I was just thinking the very same thing. Now we seem to be on the same wave length. Let’s not put any undo pressure on each other. We play it by ear and see what happens. No more, no less,” Mason suggested.

“You’ll never guess who knows about us?” Miles asked.

“Your partner?” Mason asked.

“How did you know that?”

Mason laughed and said, “Because my partner guessed that I had a date tonight and knew you were a he and not a she. Her name is Nicole Parker. She’s great. And she doesn’t mind me being gay and I know I can trust her not to talk to everyone about us.”

“That’s too funny, because my partner, Shannon O’Neill, guessed about us too. She also knew that I was gay and seems fine with it. We’ve never discussed it before but she said I looked really happy,” Miles said.

Mason pulled into the parking lot at Claim Jumper and he asked, “So, are we out at the restaurant? I mean, can we touch each other’s hands and things like that?”

“Mason, if you’re comfortable holding my hand during dinner, then I say, go for it. I would enjoy some PDA for a change. Most men I date don’t do that.”

“Hold hands?” Mason wondered.

“Yeah. I haven’t had any good dates in about a year. I’ve been pretty lonely. And unlike you, I don’t have four sisters to hang out with.”

“Well, you do now. You’re going to really like them. None of them are serious about anyone yet. So, there are no nieces or nephews. Which is a disappointment to my parents. They want grand-children,” Mason said.

“There’s still plenty of time. My mom called me last night and said that dad called and told her that he’s having a baby with his new wife. He asked her to tell me. She and I both wondered why he cares since he doesn’t like the whole gay issue. But looks like I’m going to have a half-sister soon,” Miles said, starting to laugh.

“That’s sort of funny to get a sister when you’re 32. Oh well, some day she’ll want to meet you. Do they still live in town?” Mason asked.

“Enough about me, let’s get out of the Durango and into the restaurant. I’m starving,” Miles suggested.

Mason pulled Miles in for a quick kiss and said, “I had to taste your lips again. You have very kissable lips.”

“You didn’t strike me as a romantic, but you are. I like that about you. You can kiss me anytime,” Miles said, sweetly.

They got out and walked into the restaurant. Mason had reservations, so the woman in charge told them to wait a moment and they would call them.

Both men sat down, side by side and waited to be called. Miles heard Mason’s stomach growl and it made him snicker.

“I’m starving, I can’t help it,” Mason answered defensively.

Miles smiled and said, “So am I. They can’t call soon enough for me.”

At that very moment the girl said, “Mason Smith.”

Both men jumped up and followed quickly to their table. It was a really nice quiet booth and that was perfect for the evening. “Is this booth all right with you?”

“It’s just fine,” Mason replied.

She left them with menus and walked off.

“I don’t even have to look, I know what I’m getting,” Mason said, happily.

“I’m getting the very same thing. I love Filet Mignon. Do you eat yours medium rare?” Miles asked.

“Sure do. I love meat that way. So much better then fully cooked meat.”

“Another thing we have in common,” Miles said, smiling brightly.

“Keep smiling like that and we might have to skip dinner,” Mason teased.

“Like I said, you’re a romantic man. I love that about you,” Miles admitted.

The waiter came up and took their order and they both ordered a glass of wine. “One glass should be fine to drive with, don’t you think?” Mason asked.

“Yeah, we’re going to be eating, too, so that will absorb most of the alcohol,” Miles answered.

The wine came and they talked and drank and were having a wonderful time. They truly did have a lot in common. When the meal came, they were totally ready to eat. Both men argued over who had the best steak and continued talking about work and friends. Before long, the evening had ended and Mason found himself somewhat disappointed about that. He really enjoyed Miles’ company.

“Would you like to come again on Saturday night?” Mason asked.

“I say we try some Japanese food instead. Something different every time we go out so that we can try lots of different places and dishes,” Miles suggested.

“That sounds good. I don’t go out that much, so we’ll have to figure out where we’re going each week. I mean, if you want to continue going out with me each week,” Mason said, blushing.

“It’s all right, Mason. I really like you and want to see you as often as I can. You can plan ahead as far as I’m concerned.” Miles just hoped that no strange oddities showed up with him.

“Would you like dessert, Miles?”

“I could split a red velvet cupcake with you if you were in the mood. I do love sweets. That’s why I have to run on the treadmill every day,” Miles answered.

When the waiter came back, they ordered two items for dessert. One to split and one to go for later.

Mason kept smiling at Miles, the entire time they were there. Mason couldn’t believe what a keeper Miles seemed to be. He hoped there would be no surprises coming up.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The drive home from dinner was pretty quiet. Mason was wondering if something was wrong when Miles said, “Would you like to sleep over tonight?”

“I think that would be great. But I have to stop at my house and get my things for sleeping over. Do you mind stopping with me?” Mason asked.

“No, that would be perfect. Then I can see your place, too,” Miles said bouncing in his seat. He was just thrilled that things were going as well as they were.

“Oh sure, the one day I didn’t make my bed,” Mason said, laughing.

They drove into Mason’s driveway, pulling into his garage and Miles said, “Wow, this looks like a good sized house. Is it bigger than mine?”

“I never gave it much thought, actually. You tell me once you get the tour,” Mason said as they got out of the Durango.

Miles walked a little behind Mason so he could watch the man’s ass.

“Are you watching my ass, Miles?” Mason asked, blushing.

“Guilty as charged. Quit complaining.”

They both laughed as Mason opened the door and the two of them walked into the living room.

“Whoa, this is a nice living room. I love the wood floors,” Miles said, as he walked around the room checking everything out.

“The wood floors go all through the house except for the bedrooms. They are carpeted. I never got to them and I do plan on changing them, one day,” Mason said as he walked towards the kitchen and dining area.

Mason knew the kitchen was going to blow Miles away, because he had remodeled the entire thing about six months before that. When they walked in, Miles was smiling, big time.

“This is the best kitchen I’ve ever seen. I take it you cook?” Miles asked as he continued to look around the room.

“I love to cook, so that’s why I have to run on the treadmill every morning. I cook outdoors a lot too. I have a really good time cooking or baking. Doesn’t matter to me,” Mason confessed.

“This is the best kitchen ever!” Miles loved this house.

“I could help you do all this in your house too. I love working on the house. It’s something fun to do,” Mason admitted.

Miles looked out the window and saw that Mason had a pool. “So, you’ve got a pool too?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t live in Tucson without a pool for the summers. Not to mention, it’s really good exercise,” Mason answered.

“Now, I’m dying to see the bathrooms. I bet they’re nice too,” Miles guessed.

“They are. I just finished with them about a month ago, so they look pretty damn good,” Mason said as he opened up the door of the first bathroom.

“These are a lot more than nice, Mason. You have to learn when to brag and when not to. This is the time to brag. I love this house. You’re going to help me with mine, too. We’ll have fun,” Miles said happily.

Mason showed Miles the spare bedroom and office and then the master bedroom. Miles just thought the rest of the house looked good. It looked beautiful. Nothing was out of place and for some reason that bothered Miles a little bit. _Maybe he has OCD._ “Is it always this clean?” Miles asked.

“No, I have a cleaning service that comes once a week and they just came. I hate cleaning. I do like fixing things up, but hate dusting, mopping and things like that,” Mason confessed.

“There is a God. I was afraid you were doing all this yourself. This room is gorgeous. You’ve made a wonderful home here. Thanks for sharing it with me,” Miles said.

Mason pulled Miles into his arms and kissed him softly. So softly that it almost tickled Miles’ lips. “Would you like to do some practicing here before we head over to your place?” Mason asked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

Miles went back into Mason’s arms and started kissing him again. “I like the idea of us using both places. You’re up first,” Miles said.

Mason wasn’t going to waste any time. He pulled Miles’s shirt off and couldn’t get over how good Miles looked. “You’re in great shape. I hate to sound vain, but I love the way you look. I know people are supposed to look inside, but I can’t get any further than your outside. I’m sorry that I’m such a pig.”

Miles laughed as he pulled Mason’s shirt off and began to kiss his neck and worked his way down Mason’s chest. “Oh man, I am so sensitive on my nipples, Miles. You better not stay there too long or I’ll leave the party early.”

Miles laughed and started taking Mason’s Dockers off. Mason was even helping to hurry the job up. Then Mason took Miles’s off and they both stood there in their underwear alone. Miles kissed Mason once more and said, “I’m wild about how you look. I totally understand the vain remark.”

Mason laughed and said, “And I’m right there with you.” Mason pulled away from him and pulled the sheets down and shoved Miles onto the bed. That was one thing he really liked about sleeping with men, you didn’t have to be so gentle. Then Mason saw the face, Miles made and realized that Miles might not agree with that thought. “Too rough,Miles?”

“No, just took me off guard,” Miles answered.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I was just thinking that men don’t have to be so gentle with each other and got carried away. I’m going to try and work on it,” Mason said.

Miles grabbed the babbling man and pulled him on top of himself. Mason laughed and said, “Okay, so much for gentle, eh?”

They began kissing once again and both men were really fine kissers. Mason reached down and pulled his new lover’s underwear off and then his own. They lay close together, rubbing their hard cocks together. Both of them were leaking, making it nice and slick.

Mason went down Miles’ body, kissing every section as he went. He only stopped at his belly button and began to tongue fuck that. He had no idea that Miles was that ticklish, but he was. He pulled away and was laughing. “I don’t mean to ruin the mood, but I’m really ticklish.”

“And I’m not ticklish at all. Seems like the wrong one is licking and kissing,” Mason teased. Mason was going to suck Miles if it killed them both. He took Miles into his mouth and the moaning began.

“Turn around, hot stuff. I want some action up here, too,” Miles said looking sexy as hell. His eyelids were drooping just a bit and he was wearing a fuck me smile that Mason wanted to take him up on, right away.

Mason turned around and was letting Miles see his cock close up. The two men were built quite differently. Mason’s cock was long and thin, while Miles’s cock was thick and shorter. Either one of them would give anyone a hell-of-a-good time.

Both men were totally into sucking the other one off and before Mason knew it, without warning he shot his hot essence down Miles’ throat. This of course made Miles do the same thing to Mason. Afterwards, Mason pulled away from Miles and went up to the top of the bed and took Miles into his arms.

“I usually last a little longer then that. I wanted you so badly that I couldn’t hold off any longer,” Mason said.

“I’m not complaining. It’s been a long while for me, so it tasted so good and felt even better. You notice, I followed suit, just as fast,” Miles said as he kissed his new lover.

“Those lips were meant to suck cock. You’re really good at it. That was fun. We don’t have to work out tonight, this was our workout,” Mason said, teasingly.

“Let’s shower and head over to my house. You’re spending the night with me. You promised,” Miles kidded.

Both men got up and walked into the master bathroom. “Oh wow, another gorgeous room.”

“Miles, you don’t have to give me compliments, not when you can suck cock like that,” Mason joked.

“You’re very cute. I think I like this banter between us. It’s nice to have someone to talk to, shower with and suck,” Miles said, laughing all the way into the shower.

“We haven’t discussed this yet, but who is going to do the fucking and who is going to receive?” Mason asked.

Miles soaped up a wash cloth and began to wash Mason up. “Let’s discuss that when the time comes. How does that sound?”

“Can I tell you something?” Mason asked.

“You can tell me anything,” Miles answered.

“I’ve never bottomed before. Only been a top,” Mason admitted.

“Okay, well I guess that answers our question then,” Miles said, trying to sound cheerful.

“You want to fuck me, don’t you?” Mason asked, smiling.

“Since the first time I saw you. I’m not insane, you know?”

Mason pulled away from Miles and said, “Hang on.”

He jumped out of the shower and grabbed lube and a condom. Getting back in the shower, he handed it to Miles and smiled. “Go for it, Miles.”

“I’ve never done it,” Miles said shyly.

“You’re kidding? I took you to be a top. You act like one,” Mason said.

Miles smiled, kissed Mason and said, “Well, I’m a little nervous.”

“You know the basics, just do it the opposite way,” Mason teased.

Miles smiled and began his new mission. He intended on making this wonderful for Mason. “You know what, let’s dry off and get back in bed. I don’t want to do this standing up in the shower. That’s a lousy first time for both of us.”

Miles dried Mason off and Mason dried Miles off. They were having fun even before the sex came into play.

Once on the bed, Miles prepared Mason, ever so carefully. He wanted it to be fantastic for Mason so that he would want it again. Once Mason was ready, Miles said all of the right things and pushed in very slowly. Mason didn’t make any awful faces, so Miles took this as a good sign. He continued on fucking the stuffing out of Mason and Mason was really getting into it. Mason was much more vocal than Miles was.

“Oh yeah, just like that. What is that? Oh my God, what are you doing?” Mason was shouting by this time.

“That’s your prostate, babe. Relax and enjoy,” Miles said as he aimed for the love button over and over again.

“Oh, Christ. I can’t hold it off any longer. Miiiiiiillllllleeeeessssss!”

Miles figured that Mason must be having a good time, so he started going a little faster and before long, he was shooting his essence into the condom.

He lay on top of Mason for about ten minutes, neither of them talking until he started to slip out. Then he cleaned them both up. Mason was in a daze.

“Miles, that was so great. I loved it. I can’t believe that’s what it feels like. Thanks for showing me what I’ve been missing,” Mason said, simply glowing with happiness.

Mason pulled Miles into his arms and said, “Power nap. Then your house.”

Miles said, “I’m staying here tonight. I’m too tired to go home. My house next time.”

Mason, got out of bed, locked up and shut all the lights off and joined Miles for a good nights sleep.

“I really like you, Mason.”

“I really like you, Miles.”

The next thing that could be heard was little snores coming from the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

When the alarm went off in the morning, Mason jumped because there was someone in bed with him. He had forgotten that Miles stayed overnight. He shut the alarm off and got out of bed. He decided he would make a nice breakfast. He walked around naked, even though he had no curtains on his kitchen windows. He figured if someone wanted to see him that bad, who was he to argue? Miles came out of the bedroom yawning and said, “You’re naked in front of the naked windows.”

“Tough. Now, come over and pick out what kind of coffee you would like to have and I’ll start it for you,” Mason ordered.

Miles picked out the Nantucket coffee and sat down watching his lover, working so easily in the kitchen, wearing nothing but his slippers.

“Go and get my robe on the back of the door in the bathroom, if my nudity is bothering you,” Mason said, smiling.

“It’s not bothering me, but there are kids in the back yard over there watching you,” Miles pointed out.

“Shit…” Mason rushed off to get his robe. When he came back out he said, “I’ve never seen those kids before.”

“Well, they’ve seen you.” Miles burst out laughing at the look on Mason’s face.

Mason went back to making the pancakes and asked, “Do you like pancakes?”

“I love them. I love to eat, I told you that,” Miles reminded him.

“That’s true you did. Here is your coffee, do you take cream or sugar?”

Miles smiled and answered, “Just cream. If you have it. Milk would do, too.”

Mason finished making the pancakes and served them. They ate, cleaned up the kitchen and each got a run in before it was time to shower. Once in the shower, Mason made Miles feel good that time and the house was quiet for a short time before the moaning and howling started. They were both loud lovers.

Mason said, “I’ll take you home now.”

“I thought it would be nice if you let me get dressed first,” Miles replied.

“You are such a goofball. I have to get dressed too, I just meant when we were ready.”

The men got dressed, made the bed and then walked into the garage. Miles felt weird about leaving Mason. He wanted to say something wild and crazy like, ‘I love you.’ But he knew that would be a bad idea. It was too soon.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Mason drove up to drop Miles off, Miles leaned into him for a kiss. They kissed and Mason said, “I’m wild about you.”

“Same here, Mason,” Miles replied.

“I’ve got to get to work, Miles. I’ll call you tonight,” Mason said as he readied to leave.

Miles got out and was sad to leave his new lover. He felt happy and content with Mason. This wasn’t a usual feeling for him. He waved as he walked up to his door.

Mason waved back and drove to work. He couldn’t wait to talk to Nicole. He knew she would be chomping at the bit to hear what happened.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Mason got to work, he was so happy and Nicole picked up on that right away. “You’re early, let’s go to Starbucks and have some coffee and talk.”

“Nicole, that sounds good. Let’s go.”

They walked side by side and ordered coffee to go and then sat on the bench across from the station.

“So, spill. I’m dying to know who could make you this happy,” Nicole said.

“It’s Miles Carter. He’s wonderful. I honestly feel like I’m in love. I wouldn’t say anything of course because I would scare him off, but he’s one in a million. I can’t wait to see him again. I’m going to see if he wants to have dinner tonight. We have so much in common. He even runs on the treadmill like I do. We were meant for each other,” Mason gushed.

Nicole smiled and hugged him. “I’m so glad for you, Mason. It’s about time you found someone that you truly love to be with. Did he see your house yet?”

“Yeah, he spent the night. He loved the house and I can’t wait for you to meet him. He’s so nice. You’re going to love him,” Mason said, happily.

They talked for awhile longer and then went in to start their work day. Mason hated to, but he knew he had to work for a living.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Miles got to work and found Shannon getting a cup of coffee. “Hey, you get Starbucks today. I’m in a super good mood and decided to be nice to my partner.”

Shannon grabbed the cup of coffee, made just the way she liked it and began to drink it. “Thank you. I hate the coffee in the break room, but I was busy and didn’t want to go across the street. So, tell me how did it go?”

“It went better than perfect. He’s like a dream come true, Shannon. I kid you not. He’s so great. We have a ton of things in common and I really, really like him. I can’t wait to see him again. I tried something last night that I’ve never done,” Miles whispered.

She beamed with happiness. “I’m so glad to hear it. And just think, he’ll probably call today and ask you out again.”

“God, I hope so, anyhow.”

Barb from records came up to Shannon and said, “Remember how you asked if I knew Mason Smith from robbery? Well, I don’t really know him, but he and his partner were making out this morning on the bench across from the station. I just thought I’d tell you.”

“Gee, thanks, Barb,” Shannon said and pushed her out of the office. When she got back, she saw that it was too late. Miles was feeling insecure already.

“Miles, they probably hugged or something. You know how things get turned around. Remember when I hugged you once and people said we were sleeping together?”

“Do you think that’s what happened?” Miles asked hopefully.

Shannon smiled and said, “Let’s get busy. I have a feeling you’re going to need to get out of here on time, so don’t worry.”

They both started work on the paperwork from the day before. Then they got called out on another case that afternoon. The day was flying by. When they got back from the second case, there were a dozen roses on his desk.

“Who got roses?” Miles asked anyone that listened.

“You did. Did you get lucky with a lady last night, Miles? We’d like to meet her, since none of us believe you ever date anyone,” Josh Bigelow said.

“Maybe because it’s none of your business, Josh,” Miles said as he opened the card and read it with a big smile on his face. He handed it to Shannon and continued smiling while she read it.

_Miles,_

_I had a great time last night. I would like to take you to dinner tonight and maybe see a movie. What do you think? Call me when you’re not busy._

_Yours truly,  
M_

“Oh Miles, you are so right. You have to send something to him. I’m serious,” Shannon said.

“I’m going to call and order something right now. Try to keep everyone away from my desk, please. That way it’s a little private,” Miles said as he called the same place that Mason used. He got Mason a dozen carnations and lilies. He felt better after they told him they would deliver them in the next half hour.

They both worked side by side the rest of the day and Miles remembered he forgot to call Mason. Shit, shit, shit…

He sat at his desk and called Mason’s cell phone. “Smith.”

“Hi, what are you doing?” Miles asked.

“I thought maybe you weren’t going to call,” Mason said, sounding insecure.

“I got sidetracked with work and forgot. I’ll be home at about six, why don’t you come to my house tonight?” Miles asked.

“Sounds good. I’ll be there at six or a little after. See you then. I really like you,” Mason whispered.

“I really like you, too,” Miles whispered back.

“See you soon,” Mason said before he closed his cell phone.

“I’m going to take off in just a bit. I want to make a nice dinner tonight so we don’t have to go out every night,” Miles said.

Shannon started laughing and said, “I know why you want to have him at home.”

“Do you blame me?”

“Not at all. I think he’s sexy. Have fun tonight. Call if you need help with anything,” Shannon said.

“How would you like to meet him tonight? I could invite you over for dinner and invite his partner too. How does that sound?” Miles wondered.

“I love the idea. Call and see if his partner can make it and we’ll meet each other. I think you’re great,” Shannon said.

Miles picked up his cell again and called Mason. “Smith?”

“Mason, could you ask Nicole if she would like to come for dinner tonight at my house? I’m going to invite Shannon and it would be nice to have them meet each other,” Miles asked.

“Just a minute and let me ask her,” Mason said. He asked her and she said yes, so he got back on the phone and said, “Okay, she said thank you, she would love to come.”

“Okay, give her my address and I’ll see you at six or so,” Miles said before he closed his cell.

He turned to Shannon and said, “Nicole is coming too. So, we’re on.”

“I can’t wait to meet her. I’ve heard she’s really nice,” Shannon said.

“See you tonight at six. You know my address. I guess I don’t have to write it down. I have no idea what I’m making for dinner,” Miles said, sounding nervous.

“Order Chinese. That’s the easy way and we might all love Chinese. See you at six, hon,” Shannon said as she walked over to the copy machine.

Miles felt like a million bucks. Everything was going well and he was having his favorite people over that night. What could he make for dinner?”

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Miles ran to the grocery store and got all of the makings for Chicken and Dumplings. Miles loved making this dish and hoped it would be all right for Mason and the girls. Then he got all of the ingredients for homemade cheesecake. Miles was getting excited. This wasn’t going to be too bad to make up either. He could have ordered Chinese, but he wanted to impress both Nicole and Mason. He sure hoped he would.

~~~~~~~~~~

Mason got home from work and stepped into the shower first thing. He’s been half hard all day ever since he got the flowers from Miles. The note from him was so sweet. Yes, Mason was falling in love. It was hard to believe that they had only been together for two days. Mason wanted his sisters and his folks to meet Miles. He was that important to him.

While taking his shower, he took the edge off his half-hard cock and then felt somewhat better. He had the flowers on the kitchen cabinet and they looked beautiful in there. He was wild about Miles. There was no doubt about that thought in his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

At six o’clock, the doorbell rang and Miles saw that it was Shannon. He opened the door happily and invited her in.

“Oh, wow. Something smells delicious. I love the idea of you cooking for your man,” Shannon teased.

“I made Chicken and Dumplings, I sure hope he likes that. Wait a minute, do you like that?” Miles was rambling.

“Calm down and answer the door. Mason and Nicole are here,” Shannon bossed.

Miles opened the door and invited them both in. He wanted to kiss Mason in the worst way, but with Nicole there he didn’t know what to do. Mason decided for him. He leaned in and kissed him softly and said, “You look great and the house smells really good.”

“Thanks. So, you’re Nicole?” Miles asked.

“Yes, and this must be Shannon. It’s so good to meet you both. I can’t wait for dinner, suddenly, I’m starving,” Nicole said.

“I hope you all like chicken,” Miles said, shyly.

“I love chicken,” Mason replied.

“So do I,” Nicole said.

“Well, I think it’s time to get drinks, what would everyone like?” Miles asked.

“Do you have beer?” Mason asked.

“I have Blue Moon, will that do?”

“That will do just fine. Sounds like my house. I also have Blue Moon,” Mason said, smiling.

“And what would the girls like?” Miles asked.

“Do you have Dr. Pepper?” Shannon asked. “That’s my favorite.”

“Mine too,” Miles said as he went to get the drinks. Nicole already had a drink and he was babbling again.

Mason followed him into the kitchen and pulled him into his arms. “Calm down, man. Everything will be fine. Dinner smells delicious and Nicole and Shannon are hitting it off. Now, give me a kiss and then get drinks.”

Miles kissed him, sweetly and then went off to get the beers and a Dr. Pepper for Nicole. When he took everything out to the living room he said, “Dinner is ready if everyone is.”

They all stood up and acted like they hadn’t seen food in a month. This made Miles smile big time.

They all sat down and dished themselves their meal. Everyone was making small talk as they ate their dinner, but Miles noticed that it was almost gone. This pleased him to no end.

“Do you believe how cute these guys are together?” Nicole asked Shannon.

“Yeah, I do. They are so sweet. Makes me feel mushy every time I look at them,” Shannon said.

Mason looked at Miles and smiled and said, “Do you get the feeling that we lost complete control?”

“Oh hell, I know I never had any control over Shannon. You thought you did over Nicole?” Miles laughed and laughed.

“I guess not,” Mason said, laughing along with Miles.

After dinner, they all sat and talked about work, their lives and anything at all. Then Nicole said, “Shannon, would you care to join me for dishwashing?”

“Oh yeah, that’s one of my favorite things to do. Miles, you and Mason go relax in the living room. Just don’t relax too much,” Shannon teased and both girls laughed.

Mason led Miles into the living room as if Miles didn’t know where his living room was at. “They seem to be getting along great. This is good news. I’ve always wanted my SO to get along with my partner, but I also wanted to get along with his partner. Things are working out, great, Miles.”

“Have I mentioned how good you look tonight?” Miles asked.

“Thank you. You look great, too. And dinner was most excellent. I’m more of an outdoor chef, I don’t cook indoors as much,” Mason confessed.

“I love baking and cooking, whether it be outside or in. I love it all. I made homemade cheesecake for dessert. Please tell me you like cheesecake,” Miles pleaded.

“I love it. I hope you know that you’re going to have to work all this food off me tonight,” Mason said, smiling.

“Oh, the things you make me do.”

They both talked about work for awhile and they could hear the girls in the kitchen laughing and talking. This made both men feel great.

“Are you dating anyone?” Nicole asked Shannon.

“More or less. I’m not wild about her. She’s sort of a jerk,” Shannon answered, snickering.

“Dump her. There are too many fish in the ocean to put up with sharks. Make a mental note to not see her again. Sometimes we do that because there is no one else around,” Nicole said.

“I just wish I knew someone that’s nice, good looking, kind, sexy, sweet, good looking, sexy, nice, did I mention nice?” Shannon said.

“I have a brother, but he’s not that nice. I just remembered he’s a jerk,” Nicole said, laughing.

“Well, maybe we would have something in common. Give me his name and number,” Shannon asked, teasingly.

“Would you like to go out for dinner tomorrow night? We can go wherever you would like to go,” Nicole asked.

“Is this a date? Because I have to tell you, I’ve haven’t played on that side of the fence in a long, long while,” Shannon asked.

“I’ve always liked women’s company better then men’s. So, yes it would be a date. If I’ve ruined things, please tell me and we can forget I even mentioned it.”

“Nicole, you’re on. I like how you look and would love to go out with you,” Shannon accepted, sweetly.

The guys were in the other room and hadn’t a clue as to what had been planned.

The girls walked into the living room and Shannon said, “All done. I’m going to take Nicole home, so you boys can be alone.”

“But, we haven’t had dessert yet,” Miles whined.

“I would take a piece to go,” Nicole said.

“Me, too,” Shannon agreed.

Miles went into the kitchen and got the cheesecake out and the sauce he had made homemade to pour over it. It was rhubarb and strawberry sauce.

He reached in and got disposable containers and put their dessert inside of them. Then he poured the sauce into little containers for the road.

“Here you go, girls. Thanks so much for coming by and having dinner with us. It was great meeting you, Nicole,” Miles said.

Not to be outdone by his lover, Mason said, “I really enjoyed meeting you, Shannon. Now drive safely.”

“Thanks for everything, guys. We’ll have dinner at my house next,” Shannon said.

“And mine too,” Nicole added.

“Drive careful, Shannon,” Miles said.

Goodnight boys,” Shannon said.

Nicole smiled all the way to Shannon’s car.

Mason made sure they got into their car okay and then shut and locked the front door. “Now, where were we?”

“I wanted to ask something before we do anything,” Miles started.

“Shoot.”

“I would like to know if we could wait three months before we have everyone meet our families. That way we have time to just be me and you. Once family is involved, it’ll cut down me and you time,” Miles explained.

“Three months from today. I like that idea. It’s a date,” Mason said, as he pulled Miles into his arms for a big hug and kiss.

They shut lights out and walked hand in hand to the bedroom and began a fun evening of passion and love. Both men were in love, they just didn’t want to say anything about it.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The girls were driving home and Shannon asked, “So, how would you like to spend the night with me?”

“Wow, you’re fast. I thought you said you’ve hadn’t done this in a long while,” Nicole said.

“That doesn’t mean I never think about it. Come on, Nicole, it’ll be fun.”

“You talked me into it,” Nicole said, laughing. She knew they were going to be best friends as well as lovers. She could hardly wait. It didn’t matter what sex you were, you could still fall in love.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

For the next three months, Mason and Miles saw each other at least four or five times a week. They were doing very well with dating. Mason wanted more, but didn’t want to push Miles. Both men were crazy about the fact that Nicole and Shannon were lovers. Miles had told his mother that he had someone in his life, but he was waiting for three months as to not jinx it. And she went along with that. Mason told his sisters all about Mason and said they could meet him in three months. Mason’s parents were a little more anxious to meet the man that had stolen their son’s heart.

**Three Months Later**

Mason was sitting at his desk daydreaming about asking Miles to move in with him, when Nicole walked up and said, “Heads up. The Captain is in a bad mood.”

Mason got his head out of the clouds and started working hard on a report he was filing.

Captain Miller walked by Mason’s desk and said, “Mason, you’re with me.”

Mason stood up and followed his Captain into his office and shut the door behind him. “Sir?”

“I need a favor from you. The police Commissioner asked if two officers from our division would come to the Policeman’s Ball and I volunteered you and Nicole. I hope you don’t mind. You can both bring dates. It’s really important and I can’t say anything more than that.”

“Oh shit, please tell me we’re not getting an award,” Mason sighed.

“I’m not saying shit about it. But I expect you and Nicole to both be there on Saturday night at seven. Do I need to mention that it’s a fancy affair? You can’t wear jeans or Dockers to that. Got it?”

“Got it, sir. We’ll both be there. I’m going back to work now,” Mason said as he walked to the door.

“Well, I certainly hope so,” Captain Miller said.

Mason smiled all the way out the door. Until he saw Nicole and realized she wasn’t going to be happy about this affair coming up.

“What happened?” Nicole asked.

“Guess who has to go to the Policeman’s Ball?” Mason asked.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Nicole said.

“You’re invited too and we don’t have a choice in it. I think we’re getting awards. Can Shannon be my date and Miles can be yours?” Mason asked.

“Oh, that’s a good idea. We’ll see what they say tonight and go from there,” Nicole said.

“It’s a fancy affair, does that upset you?”

“I have evening gowns, so that’s not a biggy. Shannon is going to look gorgeous as your date in an evening gown,” Nicole added.

“I hope they go along with it. Or else you and I have to go together,” Mason confessed.

Nicole started working on the file she had out and Mason took that as his cue to do the same.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Captain Sawyer opened up his door and said, “Carter and O’Neill, my office, now.”

“What did you do now?” Miles asked.

“It must have been your fault. I’m perfect,” Shannon said, laughing.

They walked into his office and sat down. “I have something to tell you both and you won’t be happy with it, but it’s over and done with now. You know that the Policeman’s Ball is coming up, right? Well, you have no choice. The two of you are receiving something that night. You have to go. Either go together or get dates. I don’t care, just be there on Saturday at seven. No excuse would be good enough, am I understood?” Captain Sawyer stood there with his fists on his hips, raring for a fight.

“You have to be joking. I hate wearing a tux,” Miles complained.

“And you think I’m going to enjoy an evening gown?” Shannon wondered.

“Stop complaining and make your plans. Remember what I said. No excuse will be good enough,” Captain Sawyer said, sounding very menacing.

When Miles sat back down at his desk, he looked totally disgusted. He whispered, “I hate that I can’t take my real date.”

“Maybe Nicole would be your date and Mason could be mine,” Shannon suggested.

“I guess that would work. It’s not like we don’t all like each other,” Miles said.

“We’ll talk to them about it later. Now let’s get some real work done here.”

~~~~~~~~~~

 

That evening when Mason got home, he called Miles first thing.

“I was just going to call you,” Miles said.

“Well, see, I saved you the trouble,” Mason teased.

“It’s never any trouble to call you. How was your day? Oh, I have something to ask you,” Miles said.

“My day was okay, but Nicole and I have to go to the Policeman’s Ball on Saturday at seven and our captain said there was no excuse good enough to get out of it. Sounds like we’re getting some award or something. So, anyhow, Nicole and I wondered if we could trade dates for Saturday night?”

“Wow, your news is the same as my news. We have to go, too. So, yes, we’ll go as each other’s dates. Pisses me off that I can’t take you myself,” Miles confessed.

“I know, man, but you know the rules,” Mason pointed out.

“Yeah, I know. Can I come over?” Miles wondered aloud.

“I have something to ask you that is pretty serious. I would like you to move in with me. I figure we could rent your house to Shannon and Nicole if you wanted to. They share that tiny apartment and would love your place. I think it’s time for you to move over here. What do you think of that?” Mason knew he was babbling.

“Yes… I’ll get a few things together for tonight, but this weekend, after the ball, we’re going to move me in, permanently. I want to share in your life. But this means, we need to meet the family.”

“I agree about the family, so, we’re going to have a barbecue on Sunday. I’ll invite all of my family and you invite your mom and Shannon and Nicole. That way we’ll all be together and it’s going to be great,” Mason said, sounding super happy.

“I’ll be over in about a half-hour. See you then,” Miles said before he hung up his phone.

Both men knew that they were doing the right thing. Miles decided that Saturday night after the award he was going to tell Mason that he loved him. It was time.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Miles called Shannon and heard her say, ”What?”

“Am I interrupting something?” Miles asked kiddingly.

“Yes, if you must know,” Shannon answered.

“Quick question. How would you and Nicole like to rent my house? Someone asked me to move in with him.”

Shannon let out a squeak and told Nicole. “What would you charge for your house?”

“Just for the payment alone, which is $500.00 a month. Could you guys handle that?” Miles was getting excited now.

“Yes, we’ll take it. We’ll help you move out, so we can move in,” Shannon said, happily.

“Okay, we’ll take care of everything else later. Talk to you soon,” Miles said.

“Congratulations on the move honey. It’s a good thing,” Shannon said, before she hung up the phone.

Miles was so excited now. If he could just keep it together until he moved in.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Miles arrived, Mason opened the door happily with a big grin on his face. As soon as he walked in, he told Mason about renting the house to the girls. He didn’t want Mason to worry about anything.

“I can’t believe we’re going to be living together soon.”

“I can see one problem with this,” Miles said, very seriously.

“What? What could be wrong with it?”

“On poker nights, they’ll want to come to my house and I won’t have a house anymore.”

“We’ll tell them that you’re using a room in my house because I needed help with the payment. They should buy that,” Mason answered.

“I’m not telling them that. I’ll just beg off on the nights when it’s my turn,” Miles said, sounding somewhat unhappy.

Mason didn’t want an unhappy Miles so he kissed him and said, “Maybe it’s time to be out at the station. You think?”

“Really? You would do that?” Miles asked, rather shocked.

“It’s time that everyone knows about you. I’m sick of telling stories. And if the people I work with don’t like it, they can kiss my ass,” Mason said.

“No one kisses that ass, but me.”

“And you do that so well, too,” Mason said as he pulled Miles in for more kissing and hugging.

“I love you, Mason,” Miles blurted out and tried to stop, but couldn’t.

“I love you, too. I’ve wanted to tell you that for about two months, but was afraid to. Thank you for making it easy on me. You know how difficult things are sometimes,” Mason said, happier than he had ever been.

“Okay, this is our official Anniversary,” Miles said.

“You want May 20th to be our Anniversary?” Mason asked.

“Yes, it is. You have to remember this day for the rest of our lives, Mason.”

“Okay, let me put it in my cell phone right now,” Mason said, laughing. Then he turned serious and asked, “Wait a minute, don’t we count the last three months or so for part of our Anniversary?”

“Shit, I never thought of that. Good point. Okay, new anniversary date is March 20th. How is that?” Miles asked.

“Perfect, just like you,” Mason said before he pulled Miles into his arms.

“You are such a romantic, sometimes. I love that about you. Actually, I love everything about you,” Miles confessed.

“I love you, too. Now, not to change the subject, but I am. Do you own a tux?”

Miles smiled at the topic change. “Yes, I own one. I haven’t worn it in years, though, might need a new one.”

“Let’s take a look at it tomorrow. I’ll try mine on tonight and you can tell me if it still fits. Okay?”

“Mason, of course it will fit. You’re body is perfect.”

Mason walked into the bedroom and stripped down to nothing and stood there and said, “Ready to have me try mine on?”

“Not fair, I don’t get to try mine on,” Miles whined.

Miles watched Mason’s bare butt as he walked across the room to the closet and wished he had the nerve to use his camera on his phone. This man was built like a God.

Miles started stripping while Mason was finding his tux and when Mason came out wearing his tux, looking fantastic, his eyes were drawn to Miles naked form. He caught Miles stretching down to the floor and back.

“What are you doing?” Mason asked, smiling big time.

“I’m stretching so I’ll be ready for you,” Miles said.

“You look wonderful naked. You make me warm for your form in about two seconds. I love your body,” Mason admitted.

“Speaking of looking perfect, you look fantastic in the tux. No need for a new one, this one looks just fine,” Miles said as he rubbed his hand across, Mason’s ass. “Oh, soft and firm at the same time. I might not be able to keep my hands off the ass while we’re at the ball. They shouldn’t call it a ball, if they don’t want us guys doing anything. Right?”

Mason started laughing, threw his tux off as soon as he could, and took Miles to their bed. Their bed had such a nice ring to it. He was going to make Miles very happy tonight. Not that he didn’t usually, but it was different tonight. Now, Miles lived there. Mason wondered if Miles felt different.

“It feels different somehow now that this is our room. I love the sound of our room, don’t you?” Miles asked looking dreamy eyed.

“I was just thinking of the very same thing, except that I said to myself, their bed. I love the sound of it. We really need to stop thinking alike,” Mason said before he started making love to Miles.

All that could be heard in the house were love sounds. Both Mason and Miles loved those sounds filling their home.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

On Saturday, Shannon and Nicole stopped over to the house to show off their dresses. They knew they looked good, but wanted to hear it from Mason and Miles.

“So, how are we working this? Am I your date, Mason?” Shannon asked.

“I just think we should go together and let people wonder,” Miles said.

“Okay, so we’ll just sit together and everyone can guess?” Nicole asked.

Mason laughed and asked, “What if I want to hug Miles when he gets his award. How would that look to the people that are there?”

Miles thought for a moment and said, “We would be outted at the Policeman’s Ball, do we really want to do that to our captains?”

“That’s true, we do have to think about our captains,” Nicole said.

“I’m back to the first question, then. Am I your date, Mason?” Shannon asked.

“Yes, you’re my date and you’re a lovely date at that. That dress is gorgeous,” Mason said.

“Why thank you, very much.”

“And you look gorgeous, too, Nicole,” Miles said.

“We’re going to be the best looking couples there. There is no doubt about that,” Mason said, smiling.

“Since when did you get such a big head?” Miles asked.

“Since you constantly tell me how good I look in this tux, or out of the tux for that matter,” Mason replied.

Both of the girls started laughing and had to wipe their eyes from laughing too hard.

“Are we about ready?” Mason asked at six.

“I guess. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Miles said, sadly.

“Miles, we can out ourselves tonight if you want to. I’m okay with that,” Mason assured him.

“Well, I’m not okay with it. Another time would be better,” Miles said, trying to sound calmer.

They all got into the Durango and Mason drove off to the Auditorium where the ball was being held.

When they got there it took twenty minutes to park. Then they had to hike up a hill to get there. Mason wasn’t a happy camper.

“You’d think they would have parking, you know?” Mason asked.

Shannon hugged him and said, “If this is the worst thing that happens tonight, it’ll be a good night for all of us.”

Benson from Mason’s department said, “Wow, I see you found yourself a looker, Smith.”

“Well, I sure did, Benson. Now, if you don’t mind, take your eyes off her breasts. That’s rude.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to her?” Benson, the idiot, asked.

“Why would Shannon care about meeting you?” Mason asked. He was already getting irritated.

“You’re an asshole, at work and away from work, too, Smith. Have a good time with your girlfriend,” Benson said, sounding like a kid.

Shannon grabbed Mason’s arm and said, “Thank you for defending my honor. That was nice. But, I could have taken him.”

Mason burst out laughing until he saw their captain at the top of the stairs. “Come on, Mason and Nicole, I saved you seats.”

“We have dates, sir,” Mason pointed out.

“There are four seats,” Miller said.

“Okay. Thanks,” Mason answered.

They sat down at the table and Captain Miller said, “Carter, your captain was looking for you earlier. He probably wants you to sit somewhere else.”

“Tough shit,” Mason growled.

Captain Miller said, “We are not going to have a fight over where your friend sits.”

“Then, let’s let them sit here,” Mason almost shouted.

Shannon grabbed Mason’s hand and said, “Calm down, honey.”

“I’m not going to calm down. This is a crock,” Mason said, getting angrier by the moment.

Captain Sawyer came up to the table and said, “What are you sitting here for, Miles?”

“I’m sitting with my date and friends, sir,” Miles said.

Mason was ready to kill someone by this time, so Nicole took over. “Captain Sawyer, why don’t you pull your table over here closer to ours and that way everyone is happy.”

“You know, Nicole, that’s a good idea,” Sawyer said and he and two others moved the table closer to the one they were all sitting at.

Captain Miller wondered if he missed something because if he knew Mason the way he thought he did, he looked like he was ready to spit bullets at the first person that pissed him off, again.

“Mason, could I talk to you over here please?” Captain Miller asked.

Sighing, Mason got up and followed his boss over to the side of the room and said, “What?”

“Don’t take that attitude with me, Smith. Calm your ass down. Now what is wrong?”

“Captain, my date is Miles. Now you see the problem. We can’t come out here, so we had to use our friends for cover. It just pisses me off, sir.”

Captain Miller could have been knocked over with a feather. “Jesus, do you ever do anything the easy way?”

“I guess not,” Mason answered.

“Just calm down and try and have a good night. No one else needs to know, Mason.”

“Fine. Can I go and sit back down now?”

“By all means, but lose the attitude or everyone will find out,” Captain Miller warned.

“Like I care,” Mason mumbled under his breath.

They sat down again and Miles looked at Mason with questioning eyes. “I’ll tell you later,” Mason whispered.

The Police Commissioner came out and thanked everyone for coming and said he wanted to get the awards out of the way, so the dinner and dancing could commence. He said, “I have the honor of announcing two sets of partners from different departments for Cop of the Year. All four of them are getting the award and medal. This is a little bit unusual, but it has happened one other time. So, I’m very proud to announce them all. First up is Detective Mason Smith from Robbery.”

Everyone clapped and Mason walked up to the Podium and accepted his award and medal. The Commissioner clapped him on the back and said, “Way to go, Mason.”

Mason smiled as much as he could, considering he couldn’t stand the man. He walked over to the table and sat down.

The Commissioner said, “Our next award goes to Detective Nicole Parker for Cop of the Year.”

Everyone clapped and clapped and they all heard wolf whistles. She did indeed look lovely.

The Commissioner said, “Congratulations, Nicole. Thank you for your service.”

She thanked him and walked back to the table. She didn’t like the man either.

The Commissioner then said, “The next candidate is Detective Miles Carter from Major Crimes.”

There was a lot of clapping and Mason noticed that a few were doing the wolf whistle to Miles. Mason didn’t like that at all.

The Commissioner said, “Congratulations, Miles, you’ve excelled and showed us all you could do it.”

For some reason, this pissed Miles off. Like it was a surprise. “Did this surprise you, sir?”

“No. No, not at all. That came out wrong. Congratulations, again, Miles.” He handed the award and medal to Miles as fast as he could.

Now, Mason was hooping and hollering for Miles as he headed back to the table. He blushed as he sat down. Mason thought it was one of the cutest things he had ever seen.

The Commissioner said, “Next up, is Detective Shannon O’Neill.”

Shannon walked up to the podium and wondered how he could fuck this up. “Congratulations, dear girl.” Then he handed the award and medal to her.

“Dear girl? Surely you’re joking, right?” She was pissed. Captain Sawyer was trying to get her attention to tell her to shut up.

“Again, that just came out wrong. I’m sorry,” the Commissioner said, not meaning one word he said.

She mumbled all the way back to the table. “I’ll show him dear girl.”

Mason high fived Shannon as soon as she sat down. Then he kissed her cheek. “Not bad for a girl.”

“Oh god, don’t even get me started.”

The Commissioner said, “It’s time for dinner to be served and there are place cards for everyone. Please sit where you were intended to.”

Mason growled and said, “Captain Miller, can we leave now?”

“Are you going to make a big scene in the dining room?” he asked.

“Yes,” Mason answered, truthfully.

“Then go. Have a nice night. Congratulations to all four of you. You did us proud,” Captain Miller said as he shook all of their hands and said good night.

They took off like bats out of hell. It didn’t take near as long to get to the SUV as it did when they got there.

They all sat in the SUV and burst out laughing. “What a cluster fuck,” Mason said.

“You can say that again,” Miles answered as he leaned in and gave Mason a kiss. He knew the dark tinted windows would provide cover for them. But what he didn’t know was that the car that pulled up behind them saw everything with their headlights on.

They had no idea that their world was changing that night, and it would be forever tainted.

They laughed and talked all the way back to Mason and Miles’ house.

“Are you two coming tomorrow for the barbecue?” Mason asked.

“Yes, we can’t wait to see the family when they meet all of us,” Shannon said, happily.

Miles said, “I almost forgot to invite my mom, so it would have been not so funny when she didn’t show up.”

They all laughed.

The evening went well and the girls left as soon as they got back to the house. They had places to go and things to do.

“I’ve never slept with a Cop of the Year before,” Miles said.

“Tonight will be a first for both of us. Let’s get naked.”

And they did just that.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The next day, the boys were up early cleaning house, getting food ready and making dessert. They were having a ball. It was nice having company to cook with. Mason liked this living arrangement more than he ever imagined.

At one in the afternoon, the doorbell rang and Miles answered it when he saw it was his mom. “Hi, mom. I want you to meet your new son-in-law, Mason.”

Mason blushed and Beth was instantly in love with him. “Good to meet you again, Mason. I’ve seen you many times at the station, but never in a personal way. Thank you for having me. Now, is there anything I can do?”

“You could go and sit on the patio because I’m bringing my parents out in just a moment,” Mason said, happily. He went to the door and invited Robert and Pam Smith in to meet Miles.”

“This is my better half, Mom and Dad. His name is Miles Carter. He’s a Cop of the Year.”

“Good to meet you, son,” Robert said, nicely.

“It’s wonderful to finally meet who has made our son so happy. Thank you for loving him as much as we do,” Pam said.

“It’s good to meet both of you, now, let me take you outside to meet my mom. She’s sitting on the patio waiting for you two. She was anxious to meet you both.”

They followed Miles outside and met his mother. They all seemed to be hitting it off. Miles came back into the house and found four blond haired girls sitting with Mason.

“Oh you must be Miles?” Mary asked. “My name is Mary. I’m the baby of the bunch.”

“Good to meet you, Mary,” Miles said giving her a quick hug.

“And I’m Joanie. I work in Vice and I have no sense of humor, ask anyone,” Joanie said.

“I can’t believe that,” Miles answered before he gave her a hug.

“I’m Sarah, second to the oldest. I teach 2nd grade and love it. I love kids, too. It’s good to meet you, Miles.”

“Hello, Sarah,” Miles said as he gave her a hug, too.

“And I’m the oldest, but still not as old as Mason. My name is Melanie. I teach first grade and love it too. I’m so glad you two boys are together. Mason has been so happy for three months now and we like that. Oh, you can call me Mel.”

“It’s good to meet you, Mel. Thank you for coming,” Miles said. He then hugged her and then took them outside to the patio to meet his mother.

Miles went back into the house and Mason was getting the meat ready to put on the grill. He stopped what he was doing and pulled Miles in for a kiss.

He finished and looked up and Mary and Joanie were standing there waving at him, laughing.

“You’re going to help me pick out wood blinds for the kitchen. We need privacy. Okay?” Mason asked.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Miles said, laughing.

The barbecue was going very smoothly and Nicole and Shannon showed up. They already knew the sisters, so it was a nice day for them. Shannon walked up to Mason and said, “I need to talk to you.”

Mason pulled her into his bedroom and said, “So talk.”

“You know last night when we kissed our dates in the SUV? Someone saw us and they have already spread it like wildfire. We are officially out, now. I don’t know how that’s going to do with work, but just wanted to give you a heads up.”

“Thanks for telling me, Shannon. There isn’t much you can do about that, so I guess we just work as always and hope we never need backup.”

“You gonna tell Miles later?” Shannon asked.

“Yeah, I don’t want to ruin his day. I was really hoping we’d have more than a few months before we had to share each other with the world,” Mason stated.

“I’ll see you outside, Mason,” Shannon walked into the kitchen, saw Miles and said, “You’re partner needs you.”

Miles looked alarmed for a moment and then walked into the bedroom. He pulled Mason into his strong arms and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“We are officially out,” Mason said, sounding angry.

“At work?” Miles asked.

“Yes, someone saw the four of us kissing and we’re out now. We don’t have to worry about anyone spreading rumors, they are truths they speak of now,” Mason declared.

“Are you embarrassed?”

“Never. Just pissed that they can’t just leave us alone. We’re not bothering anyone but each other. Why do they have to have their nose in our business?”

Mason kissed Miles and said, “Let’s go have a good barbecue. We can worry about all of this tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me, lover,” Mason answered.

Mason supposed that everyone was talking up a storm about them, but it still irritated him to no end.

They ended up having a wonderful barbecue. No one would have known anything was wrong. The guys hid it well. So did Shannon and Nicole.

Once everyone left, and the house was to just them again, Mason said, “We may have to find new work.”

“I’m not leaving my job,” Miles said adamantly.

“Babe, it might get ugly,” Mason warned.

“We’ll get a lawyer then. We’re Cops of the Year, for Christ sake. We should be able to do what we want, right?” Miles asked.

“I don’t know about you, but tomorrow is our day off and I want to spend it in bed with you,” Mason said, sweetly.

“I’m glad we both have Monday off. Sounds like a winner to me. We’ll take one day at a time. And we’re okay, Mason. So far, so good,” Miles said.

Both men realized that things had changed, but they would make it work somehow.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

**Tuesday Morning:**

Mason and Nicole walked into the bullpen first thing in the morning and were hit up by one of the guys they worked with.

Benson said, “Well, if it isn’t the fairy nice partners.”

“Grow up, Benson and stay away from both of us,” Mason growled.

Captain Miller had heard the remark and came out of his office and said, “Not one person says anything bad about these two officers, or you’ll have to answer to me. Now, get to work and mind your own business.”

Nicole mouthed, ‘thank you’ to their captain and sat down at her desk.

Mason sat down too and looked around. No one seemed that interested in him except Benson. He didn’t know why Benson hated him that much. Hell, Benson hated him before he knew he was gay.

Mason got busy and saw what had come through on his days off and said, “Nicole, do you want to go and check out this new robbery that came in last night?”

She looked at the paperwork and said, “Sounds good to me,” She got up and grabbed her purse and walked to the elevator.

Mason went and told the captain where they would be. Mason liked that you never had to wait on Nicole. She was quick at everything. Mason almost laughed because he didn’t know if she was quick at **everything.**

“What are you smiling about?” Nicole asked as they got onto the elevator.

“I was just thinking something about you and it cracked me up. Ignore me.”

“If you insist,” Nicole said, laughing.

Mason was so happy he had a great partner with a sense of humor and everything. Now, they just had to get through this first day. Every day would get easier after that.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Miles and Shannon walked into their bullpen and had eyes on them the entire way. No one said anything, but they weren’t nice looks. Miles hoped he wouldn’t have to change his job. He really liked being a cop.

Shannon sat down and the guy next to her said, “I think it’s fairly odd that both of you are gay and you ended up being partners. How does that work exactly?”

“Miller, just shut up,” Shannon stated firmly.

Captain Sawyer was listening for anything out of the ordinary and came out and said, “If anyone has a problem with Carter and O’Neill, you take it up with me, not in the bullpen. Is this understood?”

“Understood,” Jake Miller said.

Shannon sat down at her desk and whispered, “Thank you.” The captain said, “Carter and O’Neill, in my office please.”

They both walked in and Miles said, “What’s up, sir?”

“You two are what’s up. Couldn’t you have kept this out of the station? Now we have to deal with this ridiculous mess in the bullpen every day. It’s not fair to the other people in the station,” Captain Sawyer said.

“I’m not leaving, sir, so they’re going to have to get used to us,” Shannon said.

“Well, none of us are ever going to do that, so get back to work and try and stay out of trouble,” Captain Sawyer said, hatefully.

Miles stood up along with Shannon and walked out the door.

“Trouble in paradise?” Miller asked.

“Fuck you, Miller,” Shannon said before she sat down.

“Well, that’s the problem. You wouldn’t fuck me because you’re too busy fucking another woman. Gross,” Miller added.

Miles looked at Shannon and said, “This is going to make for a very long day, isn’t it?”

A call came through and Shannon answered it first. When she hung up, she said, “I’ll tell the Captain that we’re on a call. There’s a dead body for us.”

She went to door and knocked and he said, “What?”

“Sir, we have a dead body and we’re going to check it out.”

“Give the call to Miller and Sharp,” Captain Sawyer said.

“But sir, I already took the call. It’s our call,” Shannon said firmly.

“You must have forgotten who was in charge. I make the decisions on who gets the calls or not. Now give the address to Miller and Sharp.”

Shannon walked out to the bullpen and gave the address to Miller and said, “The Captain wants you to check this out.”

“Good, see ya later,” Miller said, grabbing Sharp on the way out.

Shannon sat down and was seething. Miles just looked sad. He knew that this was now their new life. And even if it wasn’t fair, it was life.

They caught up on paperwork about an hour later and Shannon said, “What are we supposed to do when we’re done with our work?”

“I haven’t a clue, Shannon.” Miles said.

Captain Sawyer said, “Carter and O’Neill, you’re needed at the call. Shots fired, officer down. NOW!”

They ran from the office, flew down the stairway and out to Miles’ SUV, got in and started off.

“I guess we’re good enough as long as shots are fired,” Shannon said.

“At least we’ll be able to help Sharp and Miller. They might be jerks, but they don’t deserve to die.”

“You’re right,” Shannon admitted.

Miles was racing over there with his siren and lights flashing and didn’t come across any bad traffic, so they arrived within five minutes. Miles parked and they went flying out the door. Sharp was lying on the pavement alone, with Miller behind a parked car. Every time Miller tried to grab Sharp, the shooter shot at him again.

Miles said, “I’m going to draw his fire, you grab Sharp and pull him over behind the car. Got it?”

“I don’t like this,” Shannon said.

“I don’t care. Sharp looks bad, we need to help him, now. Now, here we go.” Just like that, Miles stepped out into the open and started shooting at the place that the bullets were coming from. The person was shooting back, but missing so far. Shannon grabbed Sharp and dragged him behind the car where he would be safe and at that moment, the gunman shot Miles in the shoulder.

Miles let out a howl and was pissed off then. He started over to the gunman, shooting the entire time. He finally got him and the perp was down. Miles was so pissed. The gunman was all of maybe 17 years old. Miles hadn’t killed him, so he put the cuffs on the young man and pulled him up off the ground.

“Just kill me, pig,” the gunman said.

“Sorry, can’t hear you,” Miles said as he threw him against his SUV. Once he got him under control, he and the perp checked on Sharp. The EMT’s were there by that time and the patrolmen that had been called were there too. Miles handed his prisoner over to the patrolman and said, “Could you take him to our station, please after an EMT checks him out?”

The rookie cop said, “Sure, but you’re bleeding a lot. You might want to have them look at it.” He pointed to the EMT’s.

Miles looked at his favorite shirt and saw that it was covered in blood. He suddenly could feel the pain of the bullet in his shoulder and was getting a little dizzy. He decided to sit down next to his SUV until this was all taken care of.

The rookie cop went up to Shannon and said, “Do you know that cop that got shot?”

“Yes, why?”

“I think he might be dying,” the cop said.

“Oh shit…” Shannon ran over to the SUV and saw Miles lying next to it. He was passed out and unresponsive. “I need an EMT **STAT!** ”

The EMT that wasn’t working on Sharp came over and started working on Miles. For some reason, he wasn’t breathing. The EMT started mouth to mouth and compressions on his chest. He continued doing that until the next unit showed up. Then they took over. They got Miles into the Ambulance and took off. Shannon knew she had to stay and finish everything, even though she wanted to be with him.

She checked on Sharp who was doing somewhat better now that he had oxygen on and something to stop the bleeding. He pulled his mask off for a moment and whispered, “You better call Smith.” Then he put the mask back on and rested.

Shannon took her phone out with a trembling hand and called Mason who was at his desk.

“Smith.”

“Mason, you need to find out what hospital they took Miles to. He’s been shot and it might worse than it looked to start with. Find out where they took him. They probably went to Saint Joseph’s because we’re closest to that one. Go.”

Shannon put her phone away and checked on Miller. “Are you okay, Miller?”

“I’m fine. I can’t believe Miles did that. I was pissed off about him being gay, but I sure as hell don’t wish him dead. Where did they take him?” Miller asked.

“I would think St. Josephs. But I’m not sure, yet.”

“I’ll finish up if you want to go and check on your partner,” Miller said.

“No, the Captain is on his way. I have to wait and report to him. You know how it goes,” Shannon said.

Captain Sawyer walked up at that moment and said, “Did Carter get shot?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Report,” Sawyer ordered.

So, Shannon told him everything that had happened and told him that Sharp was over in the other ambulance waiting to go.

“What kind of a fool uses himself for target practice? What was he thinking?” the captain asked.

“Sir, all we could see was Sharp, needing medical assistance and he did the best he could. He was thinking of the team, sir.”

“Yes, he sure was. How is Sharp doing?” Captain Sawyer asked.

“He’s doing very well. They got the bleeding stopped and his vitals are all good. They’re getting ready to transport him now. Could we go and check on Carter yet?” Shannon asked.

“Yes, you come with me. We’ll go up there and see what’s happening,” Sawyer said as he guided her to his car.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Mason got to St. Josephs, he was beyond worried and into scared out of his mind. He had brought Beth along with him.

“Mason, do you suppose he’s fine?”

“Yes, I believe this in my heart and in my soul,” Mason answered.

“Thank you for having that belief. And thank you for loving him so much. It will make him stronger. Now, let’s find our boy,” Beth said with her hand inside Mason’s big one.

Mason went in the emergency room door and asked the nurse at the desk, “Do you have Detective Miles Carter here?”

“I have no idea. We brought in a gun shot wound a little while ago, but they haven’t told me if he was a cop or not. Do you want me to check?”

Mason tried to remain calm, instead of strangling the woman. “Yes, that would be good. I have his mother here.”

“I’ll be right back.” Her tag had said, Sally on it. And Mason was thinking Sally was an idiot.

She came back about five minutes later and said, “Sit down, the doctor is going to call for you in a moment.”

Both Mason and Miles’s mom sat down in the waiting room and tried to be calm.

When the door opened, the doctor said, “I’d like to see the family of Miles Carter, please.”

Mason and Beth both shot out of their seats. The doctor said, “Who are you ma’am?”

“I’m his mother and this is his significant other. So, please tell us what’s going on.”

“Follow me,” the doctor said.

They came to a room and they were ushered into it. The doctor followed them and said, “I’m Doctor Griffin. We had quite a time with Miles, but we finally stabilized him and got him into surgery. The bullet was lodged in his shoulder, doing damage to both his muscles and his bone. He’s going to be out of work for some time. But he’s going to be fine. He’ll be in surgery for another hour, so you can wait here and I’ll let you know when he’s in his room,” Doctor Griffin said.

“Thank you, Doctor for everything,” Mason said. “Oh, who will in charge of him upstairs?”

Doctor Griffin said, “His name is Doctor Spenser.”

“We’ll be waiting patiently for your next visit telling us where he’ll be,” Beth said. “And thank you.”

“You are most welcome. Now, go relax until they call you,” Doctor Griffin said.

They walked back out to the waiting room and found a spot that was pretty isolated. Beth said, “You were right, Mason. He’s going to be fine.”

“Yes, I know he’s going to be fine, but he’s going to take a lot to get strong again. I want you to know, I’m going to push him like it was me. I’ll get him back in shape in no time at all,” Mason promised.

Mason just sat next to Beth, holding her hand for the next half-hour and in came Shannon and her captain.

Shannon rushed up to Mason and hugged him and then Beth. “How is he?”

“He’s still in surgery. We’re waiting to hear what room he’ll be in,” Beth said.

“Did they say if he was doing well or what?” Shannon wondered.

“They had a hard time with him, but I’m not sure what that means, yet. I’ll need to talk to the doctor first and ask questions,” Mason said, trying to be brave, when all he really wanted to do was cry.

Captain Sawyer said, “Hello Beth, how are you holding up?”

“I’ll be better once I hear how my son is, Captain Sawyer,” Beth answered. “Do you know what happened to him?”

“Well, he came onto a bad scene and came to the rescue. He saved one of his fellow cops life by doing what he did. I’m not saying I’m happy with the end result, I’m just saying I’m quite proud of him.”

Mason looked at Shannon and saw she was really angry and wondered what he had missed. “So, how did today go at the station?” Mason asked.

“It went pretty well,” Captain Sawyer answered.

“Pretty well? You think today was a good day? I’m contacting IA about today and don’t think I won’t,” Shannon said softly. She didn’t want everyone in the room to hear their business.

“Why? What happened?” Beth asked.

“She’s being dramatic,” Captain Sawyer answered.

“I took a call and he refused to let us take the call and instead made me give it to Sharp and Miller. We had to stay at the station, like we had done something wrong,” Shannon explained as calmly as she could.

Mason went up to him and said, “If anything happens to him, you’re a walking dead man, am I understood?”

“Did you all hear that? He just threatened me with death,” Captain Sawyer said.

Beth asked, “I heard nothing but your lame excuses since you’ve gotten here. Shannon, dear, could you call IA right now and take care of this? Captain Sawyer, please leave now.”

Captain Sawyer didn’t say a word and walked out of the ER. Beth sat down and said, “Mason, you never threaten anyone again. Do not make me get angry.”

“Okay, Beth. I promise I’ll be good.”

Shannon had her phone out and she called IA. They informed her that they would be sending her two cops in an hour.

“I don’t really trust IA that much. As soon as they hear we’re gay, they’ll turn tail and run,” Mason guessed.

“We have to try, Mason. I’m not giving up already. So, deal with it,” Shannon said, almost stomping her foot, making both Beth and Mason smile.

The doctor came out of ER and found them sitting there and said, “He’s in room 513. He’s holding his own right now. But he has a long recovery to go through. Now, get up there and see your family.”

Mason said, “Thank you, Doctor Griffin. This made our day.”

The three of them went up the elevator and Shannon called IA and gave them the room number.

They got in and poor Miles was white as a sheet. There were dark circles around his eyes and he seemed to be sleeping right then. Mason walked up and kissed his cheek. He opened his eyes and tried to smile.

“Go back to sleep, love. I’ll be here when you wake up. Your mom is here and Shannon, too.”

He closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Mason just stood there looking lost.

“Mason, could you go get a few chairs from an empty room, so we can sit while we wait, please?” Beth asked.

Mason said, “Yes, Ma’am.”

As soon as Mason walked out, Beth said, “He’s so worried and upset. We have to keep him busy. Miles **has** looked better.”

“Everything is going to be fine, Beth. I’m not partnering with anyone else, so he has to get better soon,” Shannon said.

Mason came walking back into the room carrying two chairs. “Here you go, Beth and Shannon. Sit and relax while we wait.”

“Mason, go and get you one, now,” Beth said.

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Mason said as he walked out the door.

Mason couldn’t believe how bad his lover looked. Mason had dealt with a lot in his life, but not anything like this. Miles just had to be okay. It was as simple as that. He refused to lose the love of his life.

Beth talked softly and sweetly to her son, as she rubbed his arm just as softly.

Mason came walking in and had two men following him. “Look who I found out in the hallway?”

“Who are you?” Shannon asked.

“I’m Captain O’Toole and this is Captain Michaels. We’re from IA. We’re here to take your complaint,” O’Toole said.

“I’m Shannon O’Neill and I want to file a complaint against Captain Sawyer. This might take a while, where should we do it?”

“I asked at the desk and they said the next room is empty and we could talk in there. How does that sound? We sure don’t want to disturb the patient,” Captain O’Toole said.

Shannon said, “I’ll be back.” She walked out followed by the two men from IA. Mason hoped she wasn’t signing a deal with the devil.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Two hours later, Shannon came walking back into the room and said, “Well, it’s a done deal. No going back, now.”

Miles was just starting to wake up when she said that. “What did you do, partner?”

“I turned Captain Sawyer in to IA. There is no room for his hatefulness. We don’t have to deal with this alone, Miles,” Shannon assured him.

“Well, the doctor said I’m going to be off for a long, long time, so I don’t have to deal with anything,”

Mason said, “Babe, I’m going to have you back in shape in no time. It’s just going to take therapy. We can do this, Miles.”

“I’m glad you’re so full of hope. I might lose my job and Shannon’s making trouble,” Miles said, sounding like a tired child.

“Okay, everyone out of the room. I’m going to talk to Miles and calm him down. Go take a walk, everyone,” Beth said.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mason and Shannon walked out of the room and walked down the stairs to walk off some of their excess energy. They knew they were pushing things and they shouldn’t have.

“I thought I was being helpful, really I did,” Mason said, sadly.

“Me too, Mason, me too.”

They walked up and down the stairs about six times and Shannon was getting tired. “I think that’s enough. Let’s go see how Miles is now.”

“Okay, I like the sound of that,” Mason said, happily.

They walked into the room and Miles was sleeping. Neither of them said a word and Beth motioned for them to go next door. So, they did and waited for Beth to fill them in.

She walked into the next room and said, “He’s just exhausted and in pain. And he’s worried about something happening to Mason at work now that he’s out. He’s got too many things on his mind. So, I insist that you both go home and I’ll call you when he’s up to visiting again.”

Mason was devastated by the news but knew he had to do what Beth said. “I’ll be at home, I can be here so fast that you won’t even know I’m gone.”

“I know that, Mason. Now go and relax and rest and let Miles do the same,” Beth insisted.

Shannon said, “I don’t agree with you, but you’re the mom, so I’m listening to you anyhow.”

They left and Beth went back into the room to sleep next to her son. She knew it would be a very long night.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mason made himself a little bit of dinner while he was moping around the house. He wanted to call Beth and ask how he was, but he knew he had to be good or she wouldn’t let him in to see Miles tomorrow. The doorbell rang and he opened it to Seth Benson. “What do you want?”

“I came over to tell you how sorry I am about Miles. I heard what he did today for Miller and Sharp. I couldn’t believe he did that, but then I realized that he’s just a good cop. I had to come by and tell you. Everyone at the station is pulling for him. Why are you home?” Seth asked.

“He wasn’t doing that well and his mom made us all leave until tomorrow. Then we’ll see if he’s better. I have to call Captain Miller and tell him I might need tomorrow off,” Mason said, realizing he had forgotten all about calling his boss.

“I’m off tomorrow. I’ll go in for you,” Seth said.

“Why would you do that for me?” Mason really wanted to know.

“No matter what I think of you being gay doesn’t change the fact that you’re a cop and a good one at that. I would never want any harm to come to Miles either. Wish him well when you see him,” Seth said, as he walked to the front door.

“Thanks for tomorrow. If you need a favor, please don’t think twice about asking me,” Mason said, seriously.

“I have a brother that’s gay and I might need to ask a few things, but no favor, just a friend helping a friend learn how to act around gay people,” Seth said.

“You got it. Wait until Miles is better, he’s better at talking,” Mason kidded.

“Okay, I’ll do that. Take care of him and yourself too. I’m so sorry for being an ass today,” Seth said as he walked out the door.

What could Mason say, Seth was an ass. But at least he had come around and apologized.

Mason picked up the phone and called his mom. He told her what was going on and she told him a lot of encouraging things and almost made him cry.

“He has to be okay, mom.”

“He will be honey. You wait and see. He was just tired and hurt tonight and he has a lot on his plate. When you tell him about the apology from Benson he’ll feel a lot better. Now, I want you to eat something and go to bed,” Pam Smith said.

“I promise, I will. Goodnight, mom,” Mason said, sadly.

He saw the leftovers on the stove, started to heat them up and the doorbell rang again. “What the hell?” Mason almost shouted.

He looked out the door and saw Jake Miller standing there. He yanked the door open and said, “What in the hell do you want?”

“I saw your light on and thought something might have happened to Miles. I never meant anything bad to happen to him. You must know that, right?” Jake asked.

“I knew nothing of the sort. You were pretty clear about your opinions this morning, what’s happened to change it?” Mason asked.

“I’m sorry I treated him like shit. And Sharp is sorry too. He can’t believe how quickly Miles just jumped into the line of fire for us. We just want him to be all right.”

“I’ll give him the message when he wakes up. For right now, he has to focus on getting better and doing physical therapy,” Mason explained.

“Well, I’ll see you later. I just wanted to stop and wish him well. Good luck with everything.”

Mason opened the door up and out Jake walked and he saw his sisters drive up. It wasn’t just one, but all four of them. They walked up to the front door knowing they had business to take care of.

“Hi, Mason. We were all out in this neck of the woods and decided to drop in and see how things were going with Miles,” Mary said.

“Come on in, all of you. Did mom call you?” Mason wondered.

“Yeah, she said you sounded really down. What’s going on?” Mel asked.

“His mother kicked me out and told me I was upsetting Miles. Believe me, I wasn’t trying to,” Mason said, sadly.

Joanie hugged him and said, “Come on, let your sisters tuck you into bed.”

“I haven’t had anything to eat yet,” Mason whined.

“Well, we’ll get you something,” Sarah said. She realized Mason was acting a little like her students or it seemed like the same age level.

Mason said, “I have something on the stove, it’s probably burning by now.”

Joanie went and checked it out. It was ready to be eaten, so she put it on a plate and called him to the table.

The girls all sat around the table and made sure he ate something. Then they took turns giving him a pep talk.

“I hate to be the grump, but I want to go to sleep. I’m hoping that I will get to see Miles tomorrow,” Mason explained.

“You give Miles a hug and kiss from me,” Mary said, as she hugged her big brother.

Joanie was next with a huge hug for Mason and said, “We love you, Mason.”

“Thank you. I’m very lucky to have all four of you in my life,” Mason confessed.

Sarah hugged him next and said, “Tell him that we want to see him soon.”

“Will do,” Mason replied.

Mel was the last one to give him a hug and whispered, “If you need anything, you call any or all of us. Now go to sleep.”

“Thank you for everything, girls. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Sleep well, all of you,” Mason said as he walked them out to the car.

Once they were inside and locked up, Mason went back to his house. As soon as he was in he locked the door, went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. He was exhausted. Suddenly he remembered he didn’t call his boss.

He grabbed his phone and called Captain Miller.

“Hello?” a tired voice answered.

“Sir, this is Mason Smith. I wanted to apologize for just disappearing today. And tomorrow I’m going to be gone, but Benson is going to cover for me.”

“Yeah, Benson called me a couple of hours ago and said that you were exhausted. Now, relax and get some sleep, Mason. You’ll do him no good if you’re drained.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Call me tomorrow and let me know how he’s doing,” Captain Miller said, sounding very concerned.

“Good night, sir,” Mason said before he closed the call.

Mason got into bed and shut the lamp off. As he curled around Miles’s pillow, he almost felt like crying. Almost being the key word.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mason was up by six the next morning and was showered and raring to go by seven. He ate something small for breakfast and then took off for the hospital. He decided that no matter what Beth said, he was going to hang with Miles today. He should have been there all night. Mason had no idea why he let Beth boss him around like that.

The drive to the hospital was uneventful and quick. He got into the elevator at the hospital and rode up to 513 and found the room empty. Mason panicked. He rushed to the nurse’s station and asked, “Where did they move Miles Carter?”

The nurse that was on duty was named, Samantha and she said, “Calm down. He’s down for x-rays and tests. His mother went home so you’ll be safe here for awhile.”

“Did she tell you to keep me away from him?” Mason asked, somewhat shocked.

“Yes, but Doctor Spenser said that you would be good for him and to let you visit him whenever you feel like it. So, go and wait in his room. He’ll be back soon.”

“Thank you, Samantha,” Mason said before he headed into the room once again.

About five minutes later, they wheeled Miles into the room. Mason couldn’t believe how pale he looked.

“Hey,” Mason said, happily.

“You decided to come and see me today?” Miles asked, sounding quite irritated.

“Well, your mom sent me home last night. Told me I was hurting you by being here, so I had to sleep alone at the house. She didn’t tell you why I wasn’t here?” Mason was shocked.

“No, she didn’t tell me. I’m a little pissed off at her right this moment. What was she thinking?”

“She was thinking her only son was hurt and he needed to get better, stronger and that would mean her help. She’s your mom, man,” Mason said. He walked over to the bed and tucked the covers under Miles’s arms and then leaned in and kissed him.

“See, I needed that all night long. She robbed me of that,” Miles whined.

“Let’s not make a big deal out of it. Because I want her on my side, babe,” Mason said.

“Okay, okay. I got it, Mason.”

“When do you start therapy?” Mason asked.

“Tomorrow morning. They told me they would give me a pain shot right before it started and that would help me get through all that. It’s going to be hard, Mason. I just hope I can be a cop again,” Miles said, worrying his lip.

Mason kissed him again and said, “You’re going to do just fine, you wait and see.”

“I told the therapist that I had one mean lover who was going to make me do everything,” Miles kidded.

“I am, serious, Miles. You’re going to get better, but we have to be tough to get there.”

“I’m glad you’re on my side, man,” Miles said, sleepily.

“Go to sleep, babe. I’ll see you when you wake up,” Mason said and just like that, Miles went to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Beth walked through the door at eight and Mason was sitting there reading his Kindle Fire. She didn’t look like a happy camper.

She whispered, “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see my lover and check on him. He thinks I deserted him last night. Thanks a lot, Beth.”

“I wanted him to rest. He couldn’t do that with you here,” Beth said, softly and not quite as angrily.

“He’s been sleeping for about an hour now. Let’s let him sleep some more,” Mason suggested.

She sat down and got her Kindle Fire out and started to read the new book she had put on it that morning.

At ten o’clock, Miles woke up in severe pain. Mason pushed his call button and asked the nurse for something for pain.

Samantha came in with a shot about two minutes later and said, “I hear someone needs something to help take the edge off the pain.” She put it in his IV and before long, Miles looked a lot better.

“Do you need everyone to leave, so we can give you a bath and help you get up to the bathroom?” Samantha asked.

“That would be great. Mason, would you take my mom out for breakfast?” Miles asked.

“I sure will. We’ll be back in an hour,” Mason said as he leaned down and kissed his lover.

Beth went over and kissed his cheek. “See you soon, sweetheart.”

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Beth and Mason went to the cafeteria and Beth said, “He seems to be doing much better today.”

“Yes, he is. You were right, he just needed to sleep. I’m sorry for last night,” Mason decided to be the bigger person.

“He woke up six times asking for you and was very upset that you weren’t there. So, I made a mistake. I’m sorry for that,” Beth said.

“Okay, we’re both sorry. We move on now. Miles is going to need us both to get better.”

Once they sat down for breakfast Mason told Beth, “Seth Benson came over last night and apologized for being such an ass. And then if that wasn’t enough, Jake Miller showed up and apologized. Blew me away, let me tell ya.”

“Don’t forget to tell Miles, he’ll be happy to hear that. What do you think about his captain?” Beth asked.

“I think his captain should be shot, is what I think. He’s a major jerk,” Mason said, getting angry once again.

“Just don’t say anything bad to Miles about it. He’s got enough to worry about, Mason.”

“I know that, Beth. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

They both pushed food around on their plate and didn’t really eat anything.

“It’s been an hour, can we go back up?” Mason asked.

“Yes, by all means. He’s probably done getting cleaned up and using the bathroom. Let’s get up there.”

The two of them walked side by side to the elevator knowing that Miles was going to be all right with treatment.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Captain Joe O’Toole of Internal Affairs wasn’t looking forward to this investigation at all. Captain Sawyer had been in the same spot for years, but it sounded like he didn’t care about his job at all. Captain Lee Michaels came walking into the room and smiled at his partner. “What’s up, Joe?

“I’m just getting the paperwork ready to send downstairs. We have to send for all the witnesses to be questioned. I hope it doesn’t start a lot of hate mongering.

“I think the only one that’s going to give us much trouble is Captain Sawyer. It’s too bad he doesn’t care about his career,” Lee Michaels said.

“I’m going to set up the appointments now. We need this to be taken care of. Have you contacted Sawyer yet?” Joe asked.

“Nope, I didn’t want to do that alone. Let’s go do it right now, together,” Lee said.

“Okay, let’s get this show started. Then we’ll start interviewing the witnesses as soon as possible. How many do we have to interview?” Joe asked.

“So far, it looks like four from that department. Why don’t we set up appointments while we’re down there already?” Lee asked.

“Good thinking. I have the papers ready, let me get them. This might get messy, I’m just warning you,” Joe said.

Joe grabbed the papers and they wrote the times for the interviews on each paper. Lee helped Joe figure out how long they would need for each person. Then they walked into the elevator and were on their way. Neither of the men was looking forward to this at all.

Joe might have had the papers for the interviews, but Lee had the papers for Captain Sawyer. When they got off the elevator, they went straight for Captain Sawyer’s office and knocked.

Sawyer opened up his office door and grumbled, “What in the hell do you two want?”

“We want to talk to you about an incident yesterday that took place in the bullpen. You found out that two officers were gay and you kept them from going on a call, are we right in assuming this?” Captain O’Toole asked.

“I have every right to decide who goes on what call. If I didn’t want them to go, that’s my business. I sent them on the Officer Down call, so there you go,” Sawyer almost shouted.

“You can calm yourself down, Sawyer, because we don’t have to put up with it at all. Now, do you have anything to say before we get our interviews started?” Captain Michaels asked.

“I heard that Miles Carter was in rough shape, how could he have filed paperwork so soon?” Captain Sawyer asked.

“He didn’t. His partner did. She is the one that you refused to let go on the call, so it was her right to file a complaint. She also said you didn’t treat her very nicely that morning,” Captain O’Toole said.

“I think we have all we need for the investigation. We’ll let you know what the decision is when it’s made,” Captain Michaels said as he walked out of Sawyer's office.

“Whatever,” Sawyer shouted as he slammed the door behind them.

“Do you get the impression that he doesn’t think he has a thing to worry about?” Captain O’Toole asked.

“He doesn’t have anything to worry about. Unless one of these four people says something to back up Shannon O’Neill. It’s Captain Sawyer’s word against hers,” Michaels said.

They stopped at Jake Miller’s desk and Michaels said, “We have to interview you right now. Are you available to come this moment?”

“Sure, I’ll be right up,” Miller said as he put his paperwork away. O’Toole took the other three forms to the people they needed to see and told them to come up as soon as possible.

When O’Toole and Michaels got on the elevator, so did Jake Miller. None of them said anything until they got inside the office.

Once the doors were closed they began the investigation. Jake Miller was in the office for about an hour. When they walked out, they were pleased to see the other three waiting in their waiting room.

“Thank you, Detective Miller, we will let you know if we need anything else,” Michaels said.

“Detective Alan Sharp, I see you got out of the hospital, quickly. That’s good news. Follow us for the interview,” O’Toole said.

The interviews went on all morning long. And no one knew what was going to happen yet, but Captain Sawyer wanted to know what was said.

Captain Sawyer stood in the doorway of his office and said, “Detective Miller, my office.”

Jake got up and followed him into his office. Sawyer shut the door and asked, “So, what are they trying to get out of everyone?”

“Sir, we can’t discuss the interview. We were told we can’t discuss it with anyone, not even spouses or family. I’m sorry, I can’t tell you anything,” Jake started to leave the room and Sawyer shoved him against the wall and Jake almost went through the glass window in the door. Everyone in the bullpen was witness to this. Detective Sharp called IA and told them what was happening.

“We’ll be right down,” O’Toole said quickly and grabbed Michaels and filled him in on the way down.

When they got there, Sawyer still had Jake Miller in his office. And Jake didn’t look too happy to be in that room.

Michaels walked up to the office and knocked on the door. Captain Sawyer pulled his gun and put it to Jake’s head. Michaels still opened the door and said, “Sawyer, you're making things much worse than they had to be. Put the gun down.”

Suddenly Jake went slack and fell to the ground and was out of harms way for a moment. Captain Sawyer went to shoot him and Captain Michaels shot him instead. Captain Sawyer fell to the ground, right beside Jake Miller.

“Jake, are you all right?” Captain O’Toole asked as he helped him up off the floor.

“I am now, sir. Thank you for saving my life, both of you,” Jake said, nervously.

“We’ll need you to see someone, son. This has been a trying day for you. Just remember that you weren’t doing anything wrong. He went wrong,” Captain Michaels said.

The EMT’s got there to see if there was anything they could do, but it was too late. Captain Michaels had shot him right in the heart. They called in a special crime scene to take care of things and two other officers from IA were called in to ask questions of everyone that was a witness to the shooting. It made for a very long day.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Miles looked 100 percent better after his shower and getting up and walking around his room. He felt human again.

He, Mason and his mom were all sitting there talking when Shannon came bursting into the room. “You aren’t going to believe what happened.”

“What?” Miles asked.

Shannon came in and took some deep breaths and said, “Captain Sawyer was shot and killed by IA. He took Jake Miller hostage and tried to shoot him. Captain Michaels from IA had to shoot him to save Jake. Do you believe it?”

“Whoa! I wasn’t expecting that news at all,” Miles answered.

“I guess, things weren’t looking good for him with IA and he took that way out,” Shannon added.

Beth said, “It’s too bad. No one should have had to die today. But, if he was that screwed up, I’m glad he’s gone. Maybe you’ll get someone good in to line you all out.”

Mason hadn’t said a word and Shannon noticed. “What’s up with you, Mason? Are you not surprised?”

“Hell yes, I’m surprised, but I never really liked him anyway. So, it’s not that upsetting to me.”

“You look great, Miles. You look like a new person. I’m sorry it took me so long to notice,” Shannon said.

Mason said, “I think he looks great, too.”

“I think I need to sleep now. Mason, I want you to leave for awhile. You’ve been here since early this morning. I want you to stay tonight, so go home and relax a little right now. I’ll see you after dinner time, okay?” Miles asked.

“That sounds good. Beth, would you like to come to our home and have dinner?” Mason asked.

“Nope, I’m going home and leaving you two to each other for a change. I’ll see you in the morning, Miles, unless of course I stop by tonight to say goodnight,” Beth said.

“Okay, mom. Thanks for everything.” Miles kissed her cheek before she left.

“Bye, Miles. See you tomorrow,” Shannon said.

Nicole walked through the doorway and asked, “Did you hear about Captain Sawyer?”

Shannon grabbed Nicole and pushed her towards the doorway. “Yes, they know and they want to be alone right now. Let’s go home.”

Once the girls were gone, Mason went over to Miles and said, “Are you okay?”

“Just tired. I’ll see you in four hours. Don’t forget,” Miles said, smiling.

“Like that would ever happen,” Mason teased. He kissed Miles and left the room. He waited in the hall to make sure Miles was okay, but all he heard were little snores coming from the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mason went home and decided to take a swim and then a long hot shower before he went up to the hospital again. He also heated up some leftovers and felt pretty darned good when he left for the hospital at 7:00.

The drive was quiet and uneventful. Mason was glad of that. He was anxious to see his lover. He missed him at the house. He had a change of clothing for Miles in a Save the Earth grocery bag.

When Mason arrived at the hospital he stopped into the gift shop that was open until eight and bought a stuffed animal for Miles. Miles loved wolves, so he got a beautiful stuffed wolf that Miles might name after someone he loved. Mason could hope. He smiled all the way up to Miles’ room and walked in and saw him sleeping again.

The nurse, named Samantha was on duty and saw Mason and pulled him out into the hall. “He’s a little depressed. The doctor and all of us have noticed. If you could get him up and get him to walk in the halls for awhile tonight that would help a lot. He starts physical therapy tomorrow and he’s not ready. All he does is sleep. Do you think you could get him up?” Samantha asked.

“I sure can. I’ll get him moving as soon as I get in there. Thanks, Samantha.” Mason walked into the room and looked at his sleeping lover. He was still a bit pale, but looking better every day.

“Hey, sleepy head,” Mason called out.

Miles woke up and saw Mason and saw the stuffed wolf he was carrying and Miles smiled, big time. “Is that for me?”

“Who else would I buy this wonderful wolf for? No one else would take care of him like you would,” Mason answered.

Miles smiled and pulled his lover down for a kiss and grabbed the wolf. “I think I’m going to call him Mason.”

Mason smiled big time. He loved his life and he just knew it was going to keep getting better and better.

“Were you able to get up and walk some today?” Mason asked.

“No, I’ve been sleeping all afternoon and evening. I didn’t feel like getting up,” Miles admitted.

“What about now? I would love to have a nice walk around the halls with my lover. I miss talking to you and everything else. We could hold hands,” Mason offered.

“You talked me into it. This is going to be fun. I’ve been lonely tonight and I didn’t want to whine to you because I know you have things to do also,” Miles said.

“Never leave me out of the loop, Miles. I don’t care what you say, whine all you want and that’s fine with me. Just continue talking to me.”

“What’s in the bag?” Miles asked.

“Sleep pants, boxer briefs and a tee shirt,” Mason said, smiling.

“Oh, thank God. I didn’t want to go walking with my butt hanging out of this damn gown,” Miles confessed.

“Babe, I would prefer it that way, but whatever makes you more comfortable is okay with me,” Mason teased.

“You are bad, my main man.” It was the first real smile that Miles had had since this all happened.

“Come on, get out of bed and I’ll help you get dressed,” Mason said.

“Thank you, Mason. I appreciate all the attention you’re giving to me,” Miles said, happily.

“You are most welcome. Now, let me see, how do we get these boxer briefs on again?” Mason continued to tease. The shirt was a little trickier, because Miles had to bend his arm to get it on. Mason could tell it hurt him, but he also knew that Miles had to start moving it.

When Miles was dressed they began their walk. At the nurse’s station, Samantha poked the other two nurses’ to look at who was walking in the halls. They all smiled at each other and had a look of relief on their faces.

As they walked, Mason held Miles’s hand just as he had promised and they began to talk.

“I went for a swim tonight and wondered when you’ll be able to swim again. I missed my lap partner,” Mason stated.

“I’ll ask them in physical therapy tomorrow. So, what’s going on in the world, Mason?”

“Let’s see, my mom is worried to death about you and sends her love and a big hug. Oh crap, I forgot to give it to you.” Mason hugged him quickly and smiled. “Then my sisters all send their love and best wishes for getting better soon and I’m supposed to give you a hug from them.” Mason again stopped talking and went into the hugging mode. He hugged for a long while and finally pulled away. “That was from all four of them. They miss you. They said the house is way too quiet, plus they don’t like seeing me like this.”

“Like what?” Miles asked, somewhat concerned.

“Lonely and blue without you,” Mason said as he leaned down for a quick kiss.

“I know this should bother me, but it makes me feel really good. You miss me that much?” Miles asked.

“Yes, that much. I’m lost without you at the house. I can’t wait until you get to come home. We can work out together. Stop looking at me like that, I meant physical therapy. Don’t get my motor running, Miles.”

“That look got your motor running?”

“Yes, so stop it or I’ll have to embarrass you in the halls,” Mason kidded.

“Maybe I would like being embarrassed,” Miles teased back.

“I’m serious, Miles. I want you in the worst way. So, don’t tease me.”

“We’ll ask the doctor when we can resume fun things, okay?” Miles asked sweetly.

“Sounds good to me. Now, let’s walk a few more times around and then I’ll let you rest,” Mason said.

“It feels good getting out of bed. You were absolutely right. Oh, here comes mom.”

Beth walked up and kissed Miles and then Mason. “Good. Was it Mason’s idea to walk?”

“Yes, it was and I feel a lot better. The shoulder doesn’t even hurt anymore. I just needed to get up and move and think about other things. Mason is good for making me think about other things,” Miles said, laughing.

Mason blushed. Beth said, “Mason, I love when you blush. It’s so damn cute. I love that you love my son this much. Good for both of you. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll walk with you.”

“That would be fine, mom. This is our fifth time around. I feel great.” Miles was very happy having two walking partners.

Miles started going a little slower and Mason said, “Okay, that’s enough for tonight. Tomorrow morning, you get up and walk again. I have to go to work tomorrow, but when I come at dinner time, we’ll walk again. Got that?”

“Got it, man,” Miles said smiling. He was starting to feel like the old Miles again.

When they got back into the room the doctor walked in. Doctor Spenser said, “I hear you’ve been walking and getting dressed. These are two good things. You might get to go home earlier if you continue to do this.”

“Honey, I have to get home. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Beth said as she left the doctor to look her son over.

“Do you want Mason to leave?” Doctor Spenser asked.

“No, I wish him to stay and talk with us,” Miles assured the doctor.

“Lean back and let me take a look at how well this shoulder is healing. Can you move your arm up for me? Can you move it this direction now?” The doctor was trying all sorts of positions and Miles was doing them all. “I’m fairly certain you aren’t going to need physical therapy as long as you continue to exercise that shoulder. You’re moving way better than we expected you to. Good work, Miles.”

“Thank Mason. He’s the one that got me out of the slump and into walking and stopping the feeling sorry for myself crap,” Miles said.

“Well, good for both of you. Miles, you can go home in two days, if you continue to do this well. I’ll see how you’re doing tomorrow and we’ll go from there,” Doctor Spenser said, happily.

“When can we have sex?” Miles asked and Mason blushed.

“Not for about two weeks, I would say, but Mason can do things for you, if you want. You’re up to having a blowjob if that’s the question.”

Miles smiled even wider. “Hot damn. Could you leave, Doc?”

Doctor Spenser laughed and said, “No pressure on the shoulder, Mason. Understood?”

Mason nodded his head and blushed again.

“Okay, I’ll see you in the morning. I want Mason sleeping at home tonight, not here. It interferes with the nurse’s work. So, I don’t want to hear about this in the morning,” Doctor Spenser said.

“I’ll go home and behave myself,” Mason answered.

“Good. Now, we’ll see you tomorrow, Miles,” Doctor Spenser said.

Mason walked the doctor to the door and shut and locked the door behind him. He was on a mission to make Miles feel better.

“Oh hell, I’m getting lucky. Can I take a shower first?” Miles asked.

“No, now lie back and relax. I’m going to make you feel so good,” Mason said as he pulled Miles’ sleep pants down and then his boxer briefs. Miles was already hard as a rock, just from that. He then moved over Miles and took that nice cock into his warm inviting mouth. Miles was already making whimpering noises and Mason had just begun. Miles tried to keep it down, so they wouldn’t have anyone at the door, but he couldn’t keep it down all the way. Mason was too good at sucking cock. And when Mason slicked up a finger and put that into Mile’s anus, Miles lost it and put his fist in his mouth as he came with a whimpering sound.

Miles was breathing so hard, but felt really good. “That was wonderful, Mason. Thanks for the good time.”

Mason cleaned Miles up and pulled his pants back up. Then he moved up to Miles and kissed him fondly. “I love you, Miles.”

“I love you, too, Mason.”

“You think you’re up to one more walk before I leave for the evening?” Mason asked.

Miles smiled and asked, “Gosh, I feel like I could do anything right now. Are you going to hold my hand again?”

“I sure am. Now, come on, let’s get out there and get this exercise going,” Mason bossed.

When they walked by the nurse’s station that time, they were all happy to see Mason and Miles out there again. Samantha had a feeling that Miles was going to be just fine.

After about ten times around the halls, Miles said, “I’m tired.”

“Then, sleep you shall have. Come on, babe,” Mason said, happily.

Once Mason got him in bed, it wasn’t long and Miles was sound asleep. Mason kissed him on his sweet, soft lips and whispered, “I love you.”

Miles kissed him back and said, “Thank you for everything, man.” And like that he was out again.

Mason pulled up his covers and got the lights dimmed and walked out of the room. Samantha was waiting for him and said, “You did a very good thing. He looks one hundred percent better. I have a feeling he’ll be home soon.”

“Thanks for looking out for him so well, Samantha. Take good care of him tonight. Call if you need me for anything,” Mason stated.

“See you tomorrow,” Samantha called out as Mason got on the elevator. As the doors closed she saw a sad looking man having to leave his partner. Samantha hoped that Miles would be well soon so they could be together.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

That night in bed, Mason was lonely and sad and realized he was more in love with Miles every day. He was going to have to tell Miles that. He deserved to know how Mason really felt. Having Miles move in didn’t seem to be quite enough. Mason wanted a ring and a ceremony. He would talk to Miles about it when he was up to it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Little did he know that Miles wasn’t sleeping at the hospital and wondering how he had gotten so lucky to get Mason into his life? He knew that he had to work twice as hard as the normal person so he could be back at his desk soon and back into Mason’s life even sooner. Miles was determined to make this work.

Samantha walked into the room and saw a wide awake Miles and asked, “Is there something wrong, Miles?”

“No, I’m just thinking and sometimes that can be dangerous. I’m so much in love and I don’t think I told him today. I can’t remember if I did or not. I’m not very thoughtful,” Miles whined.

Samantha smiled and said, “Now keep in mind you’re recovering from surgery, Miles. And you were giving him the love eyes all night while he was here. So, stop worrying. Now, get to sleep and get ready for therapy tomorrow.”

Miles smiled and asked, “I do give him the eyes, don’t I?”

Samantha laughed out loud. “You’re such a flirt with him, it isn’t even funny. You’ve got him wrapped around your finger. We could all see that. He is Miles controlled.”

“Samantha, I thank you for checking on me and I think I’ll be able to sleep now. Thank you,” Miles confessed.

“Why don’t you call Mason and tell him goodnight?” Samantha asked as she handed him the phone by his bed.

“Thanks, I owe you more than you’ll ever know.” Miles dialed the house and heard a grumpy Mason say,” Hello?”

“Hi, I just wanted to call before I go to sleep. I needed to tell you how much you mean to me and that’s just everything, Mason. That’s how much you mean to me. I love you so much that my heart sometimes aches when you’re not with me. I just wanted you to know,” Miles said.

Mason was surprised to say the least that he and his lover were on the same wave length that night. “I love you just as much, Miles. You mean everything to me, too. I miss you so much. And you know what? I would like to marry you. I know we can’t really get married, but I would like to have a ceremony and have friends come to celebrate our life with us. What do you think?”

“I think it sounds perfect, Mason. Thank you, I will marry you. I love you so much and believe me, I’m going to be home as soon as I can,” Miles said, happily.

“You get some rest and I’ll see you when I get off tomorrow,” Mason said, sweetly. He loved Miles more than he liked to even admit.

“See you tomorrow, man. Sleep well, hot stuff.”

“Goodnight, Miles.”

“Goodnight, Mason,” Miles said before he hung the phone up. Samantha stood in the hallway and asked, “Do you think you can sleep now?”

“Guess what?” Miles asked.

“What?” Samantha walked back into the room.

“Mason asked me to marry him. Not really get married, but have a ceremony. Is that the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard?” Miles asked, beaming with happiness and joy.

“It is. I told you, you had him wrapped around your finger. Guess it was the wedding band finger. Now, get to sleep. See you in the morning.”

Miles closed his eyes and that was the last thing he remembered. He went right to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Mason was a bear at work the next day. Nicole walked up to him and said, “What is your problem today?”

“I miss him, you know?”

“I know you do, but don’t take it out on all of us. He’s doing well, Mason, try doing the same thing,” Nicole growled.

“You know when you do that growling thing with your voice, you’re very sexy,” Mason said laughing.

Everyone in the bullpen laughed along with Mason. And the day went well from then on. Mason took a chill pill and relaxed some. He and Nicole got three calls, so they were busy all day long. Finally at six that night, Mason got up, walked to his Captain’s office and asked, “Captain Miller, can I leave? I’m dead on my feet and I still have to stop at the hospital.”

“Yeah, get out of here. Do you want an extra day off tomorrow?” Miller asked.

“No, I want to save my free time up for when Miles is home and I can help him get better. Thank you, anyhow.”

“You have tons of time, Mason. Take the rest of the week off and see if you can’t find your old self again,” Captain Miller said as he walked to the elevator with Mason.

“Thanks, sir. Miles will be pleased,” Mason admitted.

“I’ll tell your partner that she’ll be with Morrison this week. That’s going to make her really happy,” Captain Miller said, laughing.

Mason was so tempted to say he’d be in tomorrow so she wouldn’t have to work with the old coot, but his love for Miles won out. He got on the elevator and smiled all the way down to the parking garage.

Once in the garage, Seth Benson walked up and said, “How is Miles doing?”

“He’s doing well, thank you for asking. He should get out in the next couple of days. I’ll tell him you asked about him,” Mason said as he swung open the door of his SUV.

“Drive safe, Mason.”

“Thanks,” Mason jumped in and slammed the door. It was nice not having to hide things from everyone anymore. Mason was just downright happy.

He drove over to their house and took a shower and dressed for the evening. He figured he could get something to eat up at the hospital. If Miles had to eat there, so would Mason.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Shannon stood beside Miles bed and asked, “So what did the doctor say today?”

“The doctor can’t get over how well I’m moving, so I only have to be on desk duty for two weeks. I don’t have to do physical therapy at all. I passed all of the tests today and did really well with everything. I can’t wait to tell Mason that I get to go home tonight. I’m on no pain meds, so the doctor said he feels good about sending me home,” Miles said, wearing a big smile.

Shannon gave him a huge hug and said, “I’m so happy to hear you’ll be back soon. How soon?”

“Tomorrow, if I sit on my ass at the desk. Doesn’t sound very exciting does it? But, I’m happy to have this news.”

“I’m thrilled. I’m tired of working with everyone in the bullpen. I wanted my real partner back. I’m so happy,” Shannon said.

At that moment, Mason walked in looking so sexy, that it about took Miles breath away. Mason turned around and looked behind him, turned back to Miles and asked, “What?”

“You look so terrific, I can hardly believe you belong to only me,” Miles said, smiling.

“Always yours, babe.”

Shannon smiled and said, “It’s almost enough to make a person throw up.”

Mason hugged her and said, “Get out, so I can see my man.”

“All right, already. Geeze, Miles, he’s very pushy.”

“Hey, Shannon, I like him just the way he is,” Miles said, smiling.

“You two are like so over the moon over each other. Someday I hope to have that feeling with Nicole,” Shannon admitted.

“Maybe you already have it. Have you discussed it? Because, Mason and I have. It helps to talk about things,” Miles said.

“I’ll talk with her tonight. You boys be good. See you soon,” Shannon said as she rushed out the door.

“Was it something we said?” Miles asked.

Mason laughed and said, “So, tell me when you get to go home tomorrow?”

“I get to go home right now. The doctor signed all of the paperwork after I passed all of the physical therapy tests. I’m in great shape. I get to go back to desk duty as of tomorrow and that’s only for two weeks. Then back to normal. Is this wonderful, or what?”

“Normally, I would say yes, but Captain Miller gave me the rest of the week off and now I have to go back tomorrow. I’m bummed. Happy for you, but not so much for me,” Mason confessed.

Miles pushed his button and when the nurse answered, he asked, “Is Doctor Spenser still here?”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“I need to talk to him really quick,” Miles said kindly.

“He’ll be right there,” the nurse answered.

“What are you doing, Miles?”

“I’m going to ask for a week off for swimming and exercising before I go back to work,” Miles answered.

“Goody,” Mason replied as he bent down to kiss Miles.

Doctor Spenser walked through the door and said, “Do we have a problem, already?”

“No, I was wondering if I could have a week off before I go back to work. I promise to swim every day and also do the exercises they told me to do for my shoulder. Mason has the next week off.”

“In that case, I’ll go out and change my orders. You’ll be starting desk duty for one week, in one week. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great to both of us,” Miles replied.

“Off I go to change those orders and then you can go home, Miles,” Doctor Spenser stated.

“Thanks, Doc,” Mason said, happily.

“You’ve been a great patient and you’ve been great too, Mason. Now, why don’t you help him dress while I get the orders done?”

“Yes, sir,” Mason answered, happily. He had brought a bag with clean sleep pants, shirt, underwear, socks and a pair of shoes. So, Miles was going to look great going home.

As the doctor left the room, Mason said, “Let’s get you in the shower.”

“I love the sounds of that,” Miles said, smiling.

“You’re doing it alone. No more hospital sex for you. We’re going home,” Mason reminded him.

“Damn, I was hoping,” Miles said, disappointedly. He even pouted a little, but Mason wasn’t buying it.

“Come on, into the shower and I’ll get everything out for you to wear. Get busy,” Mason bossed.

“Would you call Shannon and tell her I have the next week off? I had told her I was going back tomorrow morning. I don’t want her to tell anyone and then have the new orders go through and make her look like she doesn’t know what’s going on.”

“Get in the shower, I’ll take care of Shannon,” Mason growled. Miles was taking forever.

“Thanks.”

Once the bathroom door was closed, Mason called Shannon and heard, “Hello?”

“Shannon, the doctor changed the orders. He starts back to work in a week. Then it’s one week at his desk. He wanted you to know,” Mason said.

“Damn, I was hoping for my life getting back to near normal soon,” Shannon griped.

“It’s only a week more, Shannon. Keep the faith,” Mason teased.

“It’s easy for you to say that. You get to have him home again.”

“It’s a bitch being me, let me tell ya,” Mason said, laughing.

“Oh ha ha,” Shannon joked back.

“Talk to you later,” Mason said before he hung up the phone.

At that moment, Miles opened up the door, standing there naked and making Mason smile. “Do you want to keep grinning or get me dressed so I can go home with you?”

“Yes, master,” Mason teased.

Mason dried Miles off and got him dressed and they walked out of the bathroom, hand in hand. Just then the nurse came walking in and said, “I hear someone gets to go home tonight. This is very good news. The only part you’re not going to like is riding down to the parking lot in the wheelchair.”

“Oh, that’s okay with me. I know how it works. I get to go home if I ride in the wheelchair, so I’m not going to fight you on that,” Miles said, happily.

“What a treat. I wish all of our patients were this good,” the nurse said.

Mason smiled and said, “That’s Miles all right, he’s good.”

Both Miles and the nurse blushed, making Mason snicker as he gathered up the things that needed to go home. He put everything in the bag that he had used that evening. Mason was so pumped up about getting Miles home he could hardly stand it.

“I have your orders, here you go,” the nurse named Beverly said, kindly.

Miles grabbed them like they were going to disappear making both the nurse and Mason laugh out loud. “Hey, I just want to go home and I don’t want anything screwing it up. Let me sit in that wheelchair.”

Beverly got him all settled in the chair and unlocked the brakes. “Did you want to take the stairs or the elevator?” Beverly teased.

“Hell, let's go for the wild ride. Elevator all the way,” Miles said, snickering.

Mason walked beside him almost bouncing with joy. He couldn’t wait to have Miles home again.

When they got downstairs, she turned to Mason and said, “Go and get your car and meet us at the front door.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Mason was gone in seconds.

“Someone is anxious, “ Beverly kidded.

“That would be two of us. Not that I didn’t get good care here, because I did, but I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed and eat my own food. I’m just really happy to be alive, you know?” Miles asked.

“Yes, I do know. Here is Mason, let’s get you up before he carries you to the SUV.”

Miles shot out of the chair, to keep Mason from embarrassing him. Mason saw this and almost laughed. “Did you think I was going to carry you to the SUV or something?”

“I had that notion, yes,” Miles answered.

Mason laughed all the way to the SUV and buckled Miles into the front seat. “Mason, I do know how to buckle myself up, you know?”

“Hush, I’m babying you a little. It won’t last too long so you better get it while the going is good,” Mason said, happily.

“Bye, Beverly,” Miles called out from the SUV.

“Bye, Miles. Take good care of him, Mason. If you have any questions you can call us,” Beverly said, helpfully.

“Thank you for taking such good care of him, Beverly,” Mason said as he started to get into his side of the vehicle. He shut the door and they both waved at Beverly. She waved back and walked back into the building.

“I can’t believe I’m going home,” Miles said.

“I can’t believe you are either. Are you hungry, babe?”

“Yes, I am. I’m sick to death of their hospital food. Are you hungry?” Miles wondered.

“I’m starving. I was going to eat hospital food with you tonight, so this works out. How about Thai takeout? Does that sound good?” Mason asked.

“Sounds great. I had Jell-O for dinner last night, so I’m starving,” Miles said, laughing.

Mason drove up to the Thai restaurant and ordered in the drive-up and when it came out, it smelled divine. Mason’s stomach growled, making Miles laugh.

“Hey, don’t make fun of your poor lover, who was trying to do right by eating at the hospital with you.” Mason gave a little pout making Miles laugh even harder.

“I love you so much, man,” Miles almost whispered.

“I feel the same way about you, Miles. Let’s get home so we can eat and sleep in our own bed, together.”

“That sounds so excellent,” Miles said, smiling brightly.

When they pulled into the garage, they were both chomping at the bit to get the food into the house.

“I’ll carry the food in, Miles.”

“Mason, I’m not handicapped, I’m just sore. I’m doing very well, actually. So hand me the food.”

Mason gave in and let Miles carry it, even though he didn’t want to. Once inside the house, Mason got plates and silverware on the table after he washed his hands. Miles washed his too and said, “Serve me some dinner.”

Both men laughed as Mason put food on both of their plates. It not only looked good, but smelled twice as good.

Mason asked, “What would you like to drink?”

“An ice cold glass of Dr. Pepper would be great,” Miles answered.

Mason got up and got himself a beer and Miles a Dr. Pepper and opened them. They ate their entire dinner and then Mason cleaned up the kitchen and said, “Go and get ready for bed.”

“Okay, I think I will. I’m a little tired. I’ll see you in a few minutes, right?” Miles asked, hopefully.

“I’ll be there soon. Just relax,” Mason said as he pushed Miles towards the bedroom.

Miles couldn’t wait to be in Mason’s arms, in their big bed. He had missed him during this ordeal. He was crazy about Mason and couldn’t wait to get back to normal.

Miles washed his face and brushed his teeth before getting his sleep pants on. He then lay on top of the bedspread and waited for his lover. It seemed like it was taking forever.

Mason walked into the room and said, “A little overdressed, don’t you think?”

Miles blushed and slid his sleep pants off. Mason washed up and brushed his teeth and entered the room and said, “Still over dressed, babe.”

Miles looked up to see a smiling, naked, Mason heading for the bed. Mason didn’t have to tell Miles twice. He slid his underwear off as quickly as he could.

“I’m really tired tonight, Miles, but I wanted to be naked next to you and hold you in my arms all night long. Do you think that’s going to bother your shoulder?” Mason asked.

“If it hurts I’ll tell you, man. Let’s get under these covers. The air conditioner makes the room pretty cool, doesn’t it?” Miles wondered.

“Would you like me to turn the temperature up?”

“No, this will be perfect, cuddled up in bed with you. I can’t wait for you to hold me,” Miles said.

“The wait is over, babe. Snuggling is on,” Mason joked.

They tried different positions and finally found one that worked. Mason spooned up behind Miles and got hard immediately.

“Are you sure you don’t want to do something?” Miles asked, snickering.

“No, I’m not sure, but my body is sort of tired and I don’t want to rush you. Sex can wait, you know what I mean?” Mason asked.

“Okay, let’s go to sleep then. We’ll talk in the morning. I love you, Mason.”

“I love you, Miles. Sleep well and if you need me all you have to do is let out a shout.”

Miles snuggled further into Mason’s body and Mason could hear his soft little snores right away. Mason had been right, they were both tired. Sometimes sleep was the most important thing. There was always the next day.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

For the rest of the week, swimming and exercise was happening three times a day whether Miles wanted it or not. Mason was pushing him, big time, but it was helping a great deal. Miles was just about back to normal, as far as both of them could tell.

When Miles returned to work for desk duty for a week, he was bored out of his mind. He was in better shape then before and he was stuck sitting at the desk. Finally on day five of his desk duty, the doctor called in full duty for him. When Captain Edison told him he would be able to leave his desk, Miles felt like weeping. He was so thrilled. Things were finally getting back to normal.

Miles was sitting there doing paperwork when he realized that nothing more was said about a ceremony to join he and Mason. Miles didn’t feel like he should bring it up, because why make waves.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Shannon said, as she smiled at her partner.

“They’re only worth a penny? What a cheap ass you are,” Miles said, laughing.

Shannon laughed and said, “I’m so glad to have you back. It was entirely too boring without you. How are you and Mason doing?”

“We’re great. Well, I would like to get away, you know what I mean? It’s been awhile since I’ve been on a real vacation and wanted to take Mason to Sedona and the Grand Canyon. He’s never seen either place. Do you believe it?” Miles asked.

“He’s lived in Arizona all this time and has never checked out the Grand Canyon or Sedona? Wow, that’s a wonderful trip you could take him on. Go ask the Captain. He was smiling today, he might be in a good mood.”

Miles got up snickering and walked to Captain Edison’s office and knocked on the door. “Come.”

Miles walked in and smiled. “I wondered if I could check about vacation time?”

“You just got back to work, Carter. What the hell were you thinking?” Edison barked.

“Nothing, sir. I’ll get back to work,” Miles turned to leave and the captain said, “Just a minute, it says here you have four weeks vacation coming. They don’t like you to build up that much time off. When do you want to go?”

“Honestly, I don’t know yet. Can I get back to you?” Miles asked, smiling.

“Yes, you can get back to me. Now get to work,” Edison barked again.

“Thank you, sir.”

“I just have to figure out when I would like to take him. So, I’ll talk with him tonight and see what he says.”

“Good idea, Miles. Now, let’s finish this never ending paperwork and get out of here,” Shannon said.

“We can’t finish it if it’s never ending,” Miles teased.

“Oh shut up. Just start typing.”

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mason was on a call with Nicole and asked, “What do you think of Miles and me having a ceremony for our partnership?”

“I think that would be great. When?” Nicole asked.

“I’m thinking in two weeks. I’m going to have it catered at our house and just invite friends and family. You know, nothing too crazy,” Mason said.

“Don’t have it at the house. Have it at a church hall or something. Do you belong to a church?”

“Do we look like church people?” Mason asked, laughing his fool head off.

“There is that.”

“What about just having it at our house, as planned?” Mason asked.

“I just thought it would be too much trouble, but I guess Shannon and I can help with food prep and all that,” Nicole said.

“I’m going to have it catered. What date sounds good to you?”

“Why would you ask me what date sounds good? Ask Miles, it’s going to be his ceremony. A celebration of life, if you will,” Nicole bossed Mason.

“I sort of wanted to surprise him,” Mason said, blushing.

“You’re so cute when you blush. If you just want to surprise him, then how about June 15th? How does that sound? They always say June is the wedding month. That’s two weeks away. Where would you go for your honeymoon?” Nicole wondered.

“Now, that I would have to discuss with Miles. I have no idea where he would like to go. We like hiking, biking and swimming, so that could be anywhere,” Mason explained.

“Call him and ask him is June 15th is all right? You wouldn’t want to make the plans and have him have something planned at the same time. Surprises aren’t always a good thing, Mason.”

“I’ll call him now.” Mason pulled his cell out and called Miles.

“Hi, what’s up?” Miles asked.

“Are you busy on June 15th?” Mason asked.

“No, why?”

“We’re going to have our ceremony on that day. It’s going to be catered at the house and I want us to plan a honeymoon. I have a ton of vacation time to go anywhere you want. Do you have any suggestions?” Mason asked.

“I would gladly marry you that day and the honeymoon sounds fantastic. I have an idea, if you’re game,” Miles stated.

“You’ve got my attention, where are we going, Miles?”

“We’re going for ten days to Sedona, Arizona and The Grand Canyon,” Miles said.

“Oh wow, lots of hiking and fun stuff, right?” Mason asked.

“Lots of everything, Mason. You’re going to love it there. Wait until I show you where we’re going to stay. Do you trust me to make all the plans?”

“Go for it, babe,” Mason said, wearing a relieved smile, knowing he wouldn’t have to make any of the plans. He wasn’t much of a planner.

“Okay, talk to you later. I have to get this okayed with the boss, you do the same. Call me as soon as you know,” Miles ordered.

“Yes, master,” Mason teased.

They got off the phone and each put in for vacation. Both captains were fine with the dates. Mason called Miles and said, “We’re on.”

“Okay, I’ll see you at home tonight, but I have to warn you, I’m going to be busy on the phone most of the evening making arrangements. So, you’re going to get ignored. I thought I would apologize now and get it over with.”

Mason got off the phone and couldn’t believe how lucky he was in finding Miles. Or did Miles really find him. It didn’t matter. They were both crazy about each other and would gladly take the heat on this.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

That night, Miles did as he promised. He disappeared into the office after dinner and locked the door. Mason thought he was super cute for doing that. Finally after about two and a half hours, he walked out and asked, “Mason, can I have your credit card for part of this?”

“Sure, here,” Mason said as he pulled his wallet out and handed his card over to Miles.

“I promise I’ll be out in about a half-hour. Then I can tell you all about our trip.”

Mason watched his sweet lover walk into the room again and heard him lock the door. Mason went back to reading his Kindle Fire HDX.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Miles came out of the room he was pumped and ready to tell Mason anything and everything he could about the trip.

“I can’t wait to hear this. Hit me.”

“We’re going to be staying at Sedona Springs Resort and Spa for five days. It’s a five star Resort. I’ve been there before, it’s gorgeous. Its one bedroom, one bath, full kitchen and anything and everything you would want at a resort. Two swimming pools, two gyms and there are tons of restaurants close by. I’ll tell you about some of the best places to go as time passes. We’re going to be hiking every single day we’re there, seeing an Indian ruins display and going to a little mining town called Jerome, Arizona. All in all, this is going to be a great week and that’s only the start,” Miles said happily.

“What do you mean? There’s more?” Mason asked.

“Of course there’s more, you silly man. Then we leave Sedona on the fifth day and head over to The Grand Canyon, where we will be staying for five days in a place called Amangiri Resorts and Spa. You haven’t seen anything until you stay at the bottom of the canyon. It’s beautiful too. We’ll be going on hikes, a plane ride to see the Grand Canyon by air and finally a fishing and boat ride at Lake Powell, which is only fifteen minutes away. These ten days are going to leave us exhausted, but it’ll be worth every moment.”

“What is the resort in the Grand Canyon like?” Mason wondered.

“We’ll be staying in the Desert Pool Suites, at the Amangiri. There are only two of them. The patios are built right into the pools, so, you haven’t very far to go at all. I thought it would be super private and fun. There are wonderful trails for hiking, some with cuter names than others. I’m going to wear you out, big man,” Miles assured him.

“So, we’re going fishing? Did I hear that right? I haven’t been to a lake in years. Can’t remember the last time I fished, can you?” Mason asked.

“Yeah, it was about four years ago when I went to all of these places. The fishing is great. It’s a private motorboat that takes you out on the water and it’s known for its large and small mouth bass fishing. I’m so excited about this, I can hardly see straight,” Miles said.

“How much is this going to set us back?” Mason asked, sounding a little nervous.

“I’m paying for the Grand Canyon Resort and you’re paying for the Sedona Resort. I’ve saved up for something special my whole life and Mason, you’re it.”

Mason pulled Miles into his arms and said, “God, how I love you.”

“I know, ain’t it cool?” Miles said, jokingly.

“Yes, it is cool.” Mason kissed Miles soundly.

“The restaurants in both places are very good. My favorites in Sedona were The Barking Frog Grille. It’s wonderful and so romantic. I went alone and felt sort of out of place. Everyone there were couples. Then there is the Wildflower Bread Company, which sounds boring, I know. But, it’s anything but boring. They had the best homemade breads for the fresh sandwiches and homemade soup and tons of delicious homemade desserts. Believe me, you’re going to be hungry after all the hiking we do. Then there is one called Oaxaca and it had superb food and last but not least, I loved Takashi Japanese Restaurant. It was so good. But for Breakfast and fast lunches, we’ll stop in at Coffee Pot Restaurant, very small, but quaint and good food.”

“So, what exactly am I going to love about, Sedona?” Mason asked.

“Sedona's main attraction is its array of red sandstone formations. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The red rocks form a popular backdrop for many activities, ranging from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails. We’re going to be in awe the entire time we’re there.”

“You know what? I can’t wait to go. You’ve made the arrangements and everything sounds, fucking wonderful. Thank you, Miles.”

“You are most welcome, Mason.”

“I wouldn’t mind a little practice for our honeymoon,” Mason said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

“You’re on,” Miles said as he grabbed Mason’s hand and walked into the bedroom. And practice they did.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Shannon and Nicole were discussing the ceremony one afternoon and Shannon said, “I think we should take over and do all of the planning. We’ll just get Mason’s credit card and go crazy. We can order the food from a caterer and get all of the paper supplies and decorations and get the invitations sent out. What do you think?”

“I think you **should** volunteer, because it’s driving Mason batty,” Nicole said, laughing.

“I think it’s funny because Miles has made all the plans for their honeymoon and Mason has made none for the 15th. Call him and see if he’d like some help,” Shannon said.

Nicole got her phone out and called him.

“What are you doing calling me on your day off? You’re supposed to be relaxing,” Mason teased.

“Would you like some help in finding the caterer, getting the paper goods, cake and decorations for the party? It’s in two weeks, Mason. We need to send out the invites.”

“I would love your help, Nicole. Could you come over today and help me. Shannon can come too. Miles is around here somewhere gloating because his job is already done and I’m still planning my job,” Mason whined.

“We’ll get it all done today, Mason. What type of cake do you want?” Nicole asked.

“Miles loves red velvet, so I would like to have that. I want tiers of round pans, one smaller than the next and done in different colors, sort of like the pride rainbow. Does that help? I have ideas, I just don’t know what to do with them.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful, Mason. I’m on it. I’m going to find you one if it kills me,” Nicole said, laughing.

“See you in a little bit,” Mason said before he hung up.

“Getting help from the big guns?” Miles joked.

“Yes, and we are going to finish today. There will be nothing left to chance at all. What do you think about a wedding announcement with our picture on the front of it? Or a picture of us holding hands with our rings showing? I’m going to make them on that card program I have. We have a kick-ass printer that prints like a picture, why not use it?”

“Oh, I like the idea of our hands in the picture. Let’s take some pictures now and see what we come up with,” Miles suggested.

They did exactly that. They took pictures of both of them looking into each others eyes and then some with them holding hands. Mason set the camera and it was actually working like it was supposed to. Before long they had five good ideas.

“Which one do you like the best?” Miles asked.

“I think I like the one of you and me looking at each other, this one,” Mason said, as he grabbed the shot they had printed up. “What do you think?”

“Then that’s it. Let’s make the card, while we wait for the girls to get here. By the time they come, maybe we’ll have our invitations made. Do we have good card stock paper?” Miles wondered.

“Yes, I have all that in the office. Come on, you can help me design this invitation. What should we put on the inside?” Mason asked. “I have a mock one done, but didn’t know if it was what you would like.”

“Show it to me,” Miles said.

_Mason and Miles_

_Join us as we celebrate our love with an informal exchange of vows on Saturday, June 15, 2013 at 2:00 in the afternoon. The catered affair will take place at Mason and Miles’ house at 9542 E Paseo San Ardo. Please no gifts. If you really want to do something, make a donation to the Vet’s Hospital in Tucson, Az., in our names._

“And then our photo would go on the front of the card and on the back would be a small one of our hands with the rings and it will say, made with love by Mason and Miles. What do you think?” Mason asked.

“That’s perfect, Mason. I really like the idea of no gifts. And the Vet’s hospital is perfect, because we’re both Vet’s. This is perfect. Put one together so I can see it finished.”

Mason did just that and then hit print. Out it came and it turned out even nicer than either of them had hoped it would. “Wow, this turned out really good. Should we print some up?”

“Let’s print up like 20 of them and see what the girls think when they get here,” Miles suggested.

“Okay, I’ll start this, could you get me a beer, babe?” Mason asked.

“I’ll be back,” Miles said, as he left the room feeling so great because the invitations were done. While he was in getting the beer, Nicole and Shannon arrived. Miles let them in and said, “How is the catering hunt going?”

“Oh, I’m done,” Nicole said.

“You’re kidding?” Miles answered.

“Nope, I found one and it’s all arranged, but I want to wait until Mason is with us before I tell you about it,” Nicole said.

“I’ll get him. Help yourself to soda, water or beer. You know where everything is,” Miles said with a smile. He was so happy. He was happy to have good friends, happy to have Mason and happy to have planned a great wedding. Now, he just needed Mason.

“The girls are here, Mason. Why don’t bring a couple of the invitations out so they can see them and we’ll go from there?”

“Okay, I have nice envelopes too. This looks pretty darn good, if I do say so myself,” Mason said, bragging for anyone that would listen.

They walked out of the office and into the kitchen and he handed each of them an invitation and asked, “What do you think?”

“I think these are ready to be mailed out today. Do we have the guest list made yet?” Shannon asked.

“We were thinking just people from work and our families. I think that’s enough. About 20 people in all, I would guess,” Mason said.

“Let’s get busy and address them,” Nicole said.

Mason went back into the office and got the mailing list. “I got everyone’s address from work and family in case we were actually going to do this. We were thinking about having someone preside over us saying our vows but then decided we don’t need anyone. Just the two of us will be all we need.”

They sat down at the kitchen table and Shannon said, “Nicole, you tell them about the caterer while I address. I’ve already heard all of this, three or four times today.”

“You found a caterer already?” Mason asked.

“Oh you, of little faith. Of course she found something,” Shannon said.

Nicole got closer to Mason and Miles and said, “Tell me when you’re ready.”

“We’re ready,” Mason answered.

Nicole said, “I thought of a friend of mine that does catering and I called her. We set everything up. You’re not having dinner, you’re having Hors d’Ouvres. She’s bringing the usual, like fruit, fresh vegetables, deviled eggs, crab cakes, tortilla’s and chips, and then she’s bringing much nicer things. Everyone will be able to eat enough to fill them up. She has Pita triangles with hummus, antipasto platter, Guacamole, mini quiche, stuffed mushrooms, Hawaiian meatballs, fresh shrimp cocktails with cocktail sauce and that’s the menu. What do you think? It’s called Creative Catering. They’re really good and they will bring everything and set it up for us. But the clean up is our job. Does it sound good? I hope it sounds good, because we ordered for you for the 15th. It’s our treat, as a wedding present.”

Miles said, “You can’t pay for the catering. It probably cost a fortune. We’ll pay.”

Shannon got a hurt look on her face and said, “No, we’re paying. In fact, we already ordered and set it up. It’s a done deal. You have to stick with the 15th, because that’s what we paid for. Now, I don’t want to hear another word about it. Accept the gift and say thank you.”

“Thank you, girls,” Mason said as he gave them each a hug and Miles was next to give hugs and say, “Thank you.”

“Now, I guess we just have to order the cake,” Mason said.

Shannon started laughing and said, “You’re joking right? You put us in charge and we took care of everything. Marco’s Bakery is doing your cake. They are one of the best in town and you’re going to love it. It’s a five tiered cake done in rainbow colors with two men at the top. Should be just what we’re looking for. But with the colors, we decided to go with white cake instead of red velvet. Is that all right?”

“That’s just fine, Shannon. Thank you for doing all that. Thank you, Nicole for making sure that this gets off the ground. You’re the best friends we’ve ever had and we wondered if while we say our vows, you will stand next to us. Shannon by Miles and Nicole next to me. Sort of like best men, except not.” They all laughed at that.

“I would love to be your best man, Mason,” Nicole said, happily.

“Me too,” Shannon agreed.

“Then it’s settled. Now, we just need to get these invitations out, so everyone knows. Are we forgetting anyone, Miles?”

“I don’t think so. That’s everyone at the station that we’re friends with. I even listed our captains, so we’re covered,” Miles assured him.

“So, tell us about what you have planned for your honeymoon,” Shannon said, sweetly.

“I’m going to make love to him every day we’re there,” Mason teased.

“Very funny, I meant, where are you going and what excursions are you planning?” Shannon asked, better this time.

Miles sat down with them and started telling them all about their ten day trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon. After about a half-hour of this, Mason said, “Time out. Their eyes are getting glazed over.”

Nicole and Shannon started to laugh. “Well, it’s good that you’re excited, Miles,” Nicole said.

“Don’t let him fool you, Mason is excited, too,” Miles said.

“Mason, I need six more invitations, please?” Nicole asked.

“I’ll be right back,” Mason said, as he rushed in to take care of it.

Miles and the girls sat and talked while Mason was on his mission and before long he was back at the table again. “Here you go. I made ten up just in case.”

Once the envelopes were all addressed, Shannon stood up and said, “Well, we have to go, but we’ll take these and mail them tomorrow. This is so darn exciting. Now, don’t forget to write your vows for each other.”

“Oh shit, I better start now,” Miles said.

“Miles, will you write mine too?” Mason teased.

Shannon and Nicole gave them both big hugs and left for the evening. They sometimes felt like they overstayed their welcome.

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“I’m going to be in the office. I want to start my vows. No peeking. Understood?” Mason asked.

“I’ll be in the living room with my laptop doing the same thing. Keep in mind it’s just us babe, it doesn’t have to be perfect,” Miles assured him.

“Easy for you to say,” Mason said, laughing as he walked into his office and shut the door.

~~~~~~~~~~

**Two weeks later, on a gorgeous day in the back yard:**

Mason stood in front of everyone and beside Miles wearing his elegant tux and looking every bit as handsome as anyone could. He turned to Miles, smiling with love and tenderness and said, _“Miles, today I become your other half. I will love you no matter what and will always be here to listen to you. I love you more than life itself and I expect our life to get nothing but better. Thank you for loving me all this time and putting up with my ways. Our love will only grow stronger each and every day we’re together.”_

Mason wasn’t the only one misty eyed, Miles was tearing also. Miles looked just as handsome as Mason in his tux. Miles said, _“Mason, I stand here, today, in front of our friends and our family, to make these promises to you. I promise to love you forever. I promise to be there no matter what you say or do. I promise to adore you every day of our lives. I promise to make your family mine. I promise that you’ll be happy all of your life with me. I promise that you’re going to love being in love. These are my promises to you. I am yours completely and forever.”_

The two men kissed and everyone clapped and took pictures like crazy.

“It’s not done yet, Nicole has something to say that she and Shannon wrote for our celebration of life,” Mason said.

Nicole stood there with everyone watching, trying not to cry. This was one of the best times in her life and she wanted to do this right.

_“You have to work at a marriage and we believe that no one will try harder than Miles and Mason.”_

_“You two men have become the best friends in our lives and we feel that you’re friends with anyone that you come in contact with. You’re just that giving and loving. We both wish you a wonderful life and happiness galore. We love you.”_

Nicole stood back from them and waited for everyone’s reaction. They all clapped and everyone began to congratulate the couple on many happy years to come.

Mason kissed Miles again and whispered, “You know what this means, right?”

“What?” Miles replied.

“We now have an official wedding date of June 15th and I for one love the sound of that,” Mason said, happily.

Beth took a bunch of pictures of her son and new son-in-law and realized this was the happiest day of her life. She could see how happy Miles was and this pleased her to no end.

Mason and Miles went into their room and changed into polo shirts and blue jeans and came out looking very sexy casual. They had their pictures taken with all of Mason’s family and with Beth. Someone even took one of the two mom’s.

At about five o’clock everyone started to wind down. They had eaten, had cake and ice cream and were ready to go home. Mason and Miles walked everyone to their cars and finally had the house to themselves.

“Do you believe we have a day to pack? This is excellent,” Miles said.

“I love you, Miles.”

“And I love you, Mason. Now, let’s go start our life.”

And they did just that.

The end.  



End file.
